Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bichitra and Rabindranath (contd-10)

(Mukul Chandra Dey (Bengali: মুকুলচন্দ্র দে) (1895–1989) was a student of Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan. He is considered as a pioneer of drypoint-etching in India.

He was the first Indian artist to travel abroad for the purpose of studying printmaking as an art. While in Japan in 1916, Mukul Dey studied under Yokoyama Taikan and Kanzan Shimomura at Tokyo and Yokohama. At Yokohama Rabindranath Tagore and Mukul Dey lived as guests of Japanese silk-merchant Tomitaro Hara at his famous residential complex Sankeien, enjoying a rare opportunity to study classical Chinese and Nihonga style Japanese paintings. Especially the masterpieces of Sesshu Toyo)
Cultural Programmes were regularly being staged in Bichitra.Mukul Dey wrote in his diary on 9th Sept, 1917,
" Today, Jyoti Basu ( Son-in-law of Akshoy Chandra Chouhury) had finished his Kangsa-Badh, an open air opera.Kalidas Nag wrote on 18th July about the open air opera in the house of the poet."
On 14th Sept, a meeting of Bichitra was held on 18th July. "In the evening, "  Kalidas Nag wrote, " Sarkis Saheb delivered a lecture on European Music- he was a very witty person - we passed nicely."
A special programme took place on 21st sept. Sita Devi wrote,'' Rabindranath came to our house on 21st Sept and invited us to go the programme of Bichitra in the evening. There will be played Western Music - Piano, Violin etc. I have been asked to sing a German song. I'm out of touch for many days and don't know what will happen. If you come you will enjoy." At first Indira Devi and Nalini Devi played a duet song. Then there were programmes for many instruments accompanied by many vocal songs. Rabindranath sung in Bengali, English, Hindi and German.In hindi songs his voice became marvellous. One Christian woman named Bina Addy sung two English songs." Kalidas nag wrote, " It became open how much practice the poet had once in Western music." In the opinion of Mukul dey the Poet sung superb.