Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Rabindtanath and Nagendranath (contd-1)

Rabindranath was trying a job for Nagendranath in the Agricultural department of Govt. of India. He had talks with the secretary P.R.Gourlay of the Governor of Govt. of Bengal, and wrote a letter to him on 30th Sept;
" I talked to Gourlay about you for long time. He replied that the Imperial service is not within the jurisdiction of Govt. of India. If you apply to the Secretary of State then that application will be forwarded to this Government. Govt. will not offer any service to any outsiders If he offers a post to any Indian not in govt service then there will be a hue and cry - Govt does not want to go so far in normal way. I don't know how i can recommend his name."
While staying at Selaidah Rabindranath was disturbed with his family matters as Nagendranath was not satisfied with his present occupation. Rabindranath tried a govt. job for him and in this respect Nagendranath with his wife and his son hired a bang-low at Poona and lived there in search of a job. But learning that the job would not be available. he wanted to leave that bang-low. On his way back from Fiji Andrews , on Jan 20, 1916, started for Calcutta with Mira Devi. She was pregnant at that time. Rbindranath arranged a house for her and wrote her a letter on 9th Feb;
" I asked Miss Bidyut Prava Dutta to stay with you. She will go to Bolpore within a dayor two. She in her young age is very nice. You will get your intimate friendship with her within a short period. She is friend of Kamal [ kamalaprava, wife of Dinendranath], and a good doctor. You know about your sister-in-law Hamalata, so I need not say much about her. She will be trying to do mischief by circulating one's dialogue to others and will try to make you depressed - but do not take her into account."
On the same day he wrote to Rathindranath to come to Selaidah with Pratima and Mira.
he also wrote to Nagendranath on 4 Mar, 1916, to come to Santiniketan at Dehali where Mira Devi will be living.  
Rabindranath asked him to stay in surul and engaged himself in farming at Surul and teaching at Santiniketan in Agricultural Science but that too was not upto his liking. He went to different states of india in search of a job but he could not get it. At last he came back to Calcutta.
Mira Devi gave birth to a female child, Nandita,  at 11pm 12thy July 1915. in the 2nd floor in the room where Mahashi Devendranath used to live at Jorasanko, know as Maharshi Bhavan.Rabindranath wa then starting for America from Japan. 
Knowing that nagendranath had decided to stay at Surul, Rabindranath wrote him a letter saying that to his opinion this twas the fittest place for him.