Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rabindranath Tagore in China - Hangchow -1924

 Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China.
Rabindranath got an invitation from Hangchow. Rabindranath started for this city by train at a distance of 110 miles accompanied by his interpreter Xu Zhimo and his accompaniment. Kalidas Nag wrote ;
" In Bengali new years day every one bowed down before Rabindranath and started in the train at 8 AM. for Hangchow and reaches at 12 o'clock. "
The beauty of the lake view here was wellknown to everybody and they were accomodated in a hotel on the bank of a lake. On the next day, the associates of Rabindranath went to a near by hill to see a Budhist Temple.It is said that an Indian  monk named Bodhignan or Huily.In a meeting on 16th April in the evening in the hall arranged by Provincial Educational Society being pact up with thousand students, Rabindranath said about that Budhist Monk;
" He also came here as a representative to convey the message of my predecessor. That monk came here, saw a hill and commented that the Grhdhakut hill has came here by flying
- this scenery reminds him.He also have the same feeling to see the hills and trees here. Our difference is only of language. This difference can be removed by sincere attempt. He knows that thge students here cannot follow him but still they have come master strong. "
"It is not because you expect any message from me, but, as I believe, because of some memory of that glorious time when India did send her messengers of love to this land, - not her merchants nor her soldiers , but the best of her children,  -- and they came bearing her gifts across deserts and seas."
I have come here not for trade, not for power, we wang to reach the heart of our friends to remote country. Due to science distance has become  narrower and in that case we form a crowd, but not a community.  ..."
Spephen Hey informed;
" Inspite of heavy rain the students came in numbers to make the hall completely filled up and they cheered up Tagore several times on hearing the translation of Xu Zhimo. After this programme Rabindranath and his party attend a tea party with the local intellectuals. The senior most  poet of this locality, Ch'en San-li,  became moved at the introduction with Rabindranath.