Saturday, March 24, 2012

Ranu Adhikari and Rabindranath (contd-2)


In the month of July,1918, the maternal uncle of Ranu, Kaliprasanna Chattopadhyay came to Santiniketan for a week. His son Biswanath was a student of Santiniketan. At the request of Rabindranasth he delivered a lecture to the teachers and students of Santiniketan in Hindi and Bengali (mixed) on the subject " Ko Bang cho chang" [komar bandho chok chao]. Having returned to Kashi, he wrote to his sister Sabitri Devi in Aligarh on 10th july;
" Once the health of Phanibhushan (Prof. Phanibhusan Adhikari) had broken down too much. Rabindramnath Tagore fetched Phanibhusan from Calcutta to Bolpur. He  behaved with Phanibhusan, as one of his own brother. He offered him the residence of Maharshi to stay in and sat by his bedside for the whole day...Rabibabu ( he was also a good doctor in homeopathy) and other doctors told him to take rest for at least 6 months. But due to his service, he could not stay."
They left Santiniketan on 10th July. Ranu  wrote a long letter to Rabindranath  describing the journey in the train;
" I am weepping and weepping. My mind is too much depressed  for you  My mind is full of sorrow for you. Probably, you have taken your bath, but who is there for combing your hair. I am not feeling easy. I shall not feel easy in the evening and  I think, you too will not. I shall not be coming in the evening any more and I hope you be attending your meeting in the evening. When you will be sitting on the roof, you too will feel sorry.  You will keep quiet alone"
All these words express the relation between Rabindranath and the family of Prof.Phanibhusan Adhikari.