Monday, March 26, 2012

Rabindranath as a teacher and Ranu (contd-4)

                       Rabindranath remained in Santiniketan for about four months upto Puja vacation. He passed his time by teaching students,  preparing  lessons for them and writing letters to Ranu, filled with stories of Santiniketan. The collection of letters he  termed , later on, as Bhanusingher Patrabali . In the introduction of Bhanusingher Patrabali, he called her, " Live broadcast of the life of Santiniketan". Having received  the printed books at a long distance Copenhagen containing the letters written to Ranu Adhikari on 8th Aug, 1930, he wrote to Rani Mahalanabis;
" Those letters are full of the waters of rainy season and also with the Sunshine of the autumn of Santiniketan. This is revealed to him after coming in a country at a  long distance,  I forgot for a moment , where I am.... Probably, you know that I have to teach three classes in the morning and then I shall go to bath. I wrote letters when it becomes imminent. And before the bell goes of the afternoon tiff in  I had to prepare lesson  plan for the next day -- in the evening I sit down at the corner of the roof ,calm and quiet -- sometimes the students come to listen poetry from me ...I am fond of doing work for the students because they  do not know that the work I do for them has got some utility. As they take very easily the brightness of the sun so too they take service."
Another picture was revealed in the letter written on 24th July,1918;
" The students of the 5th standard came to me in the noon and asked me to give them a treat. ...Samaresh [Sinha] was their monitor. He came and placed the demand. I said well.  We came at the veranda at the south and had their feast. Their demand was for Luchi.Luchi, dal chatni was being finished instantaneously , one couldn't imagine. They had mango, Rasagolla at the end. I love these open hearted children. Do you know, how they shout in the class. The whole Santiniketan becomes a market. They take my class as their favourite game - not a lesson - as if I am their game teacher.Really I want to remain like that. My mind does not grow older - as if less than 27 . I know that you want to me to be of that age, you want me to put on my shirt, comb my hair and make me fit for you."