Sunday, July 15, 2012

Rabindranath in Karachi

Karachi  is the largest city, mainseaport and financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 21 million people as of April 2012 . Results in that month of Pakistan's latest census initial tabulations show that the district is home to over 21 million people, at a density of nearly 6,000 people per square kilometer (15,500 per square mile).Karachi is the most populous city in the country, one of the world's largest cities in terms of population and also the 10th largest urban agglomeration in the world. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, economic activity and trade and is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industryentertainmentthe arts, fashion, advertising, publishingsoftware development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the Muslim world.
Rabindranath started for Karachi in Sindhu Pradesh from Ahmedabad and reached Karachi cantonment in Quata mail on 19th March, 1923. They were greeted at the cantonment station by themembders of the reception committee and a huge gathering.From Karachi they were taken to the house of the Chairman, Jamshed N.R.Mehta (by JAMSHED N. R. MEHTA (Mayor of Karachi)
Being one of the Series of Convention Lectures entitled
“ Theosophy and the World' s Present Needs” delivered at Adyar, December 24-28, 1931
.

  March, 1932
 Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai [Madras], 600 020, India To the question what is “Theosophy” and how it can be applied to work in daily life, an invocation urged some time ago by the great President of the Theosophical Society, Dr. Annie Besant, in a prose poem of five lines, is the best reply that can be given in a condensed form )
Rabindranath was greeted in Burns Garden by the citizens. The President of the Reception Committee, Gulamali G. Chakla offered him a felicitation paper bound with country made silk. When the memento was offered to Rabindranath a slogan saying "Mahatma Gandhi ki joy" was shouted.. Rabindranath took it as exception and said,  "only the political leaders are, and not a poet".and added " as a poet I claim comradeship. I feel this is not my seat. I wish to be on the same level with you. When you ask me to come before you, you should share with me and do not banish me on a higher platform. I have to come you as your comrade. I wish I could sing to you in the language of your own or that wich is my own.This is the barrier between you and me and it hurts me."
Ananda Bazar also reported in a nutshell the lecture he delivered in Karachi.