Sunday, September 9, 2012

Rabindranath Tagore in China - Sanghai - 1924

The ship started for Sanghai  in the night leaving Hong Kong.on 8th April.( Shanghai is the largest city by population in the People's Republic of China(PRC) and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the fourprovince-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.)
Kalidas Nag had a contact  with "Bangabani" to supply details about this journey titled "Puber Chithi". He wrote in his diary on 10th April;
"  Today I wrote for "Bangabani" the whole day  from beginning   to Rangoon". He wrote on next day, 
"  In the afternoon I went to Gurudev for offering him some fruits and discussed in details about his sketch and Rhymes and Rythms. Here the term "sketch" is more important because after writing a poem he used to pen through some lines and such cutting of lines would make somepictures. This was described in his manuscript of Kabyagrantha, "Purabi" in which he had drawn peculiar looking some animals..
The ship reached Shanghai port on 12th April,1924. The jetty was completely filled up with the people of different community and their representatives. The poet Tsemon Hsu and Dean of the National Institute of Self- Government S.Y. Ch'u and many important persons came to the ship to welcome Rabindranath.Kalidas Nag wrote about Ch'u, " The man is contempletive quiet in nature - he has leanings towards philosophy - read Upanishad, and translator of Vhitra, Raja, and Phalguni. He became pleased ." Tsemon Hsu acted as interpreter of Rabindranath through out China.Rabindranath commented about him ;
" He is my friend , and translated my lecture from English to Chnese. He is tall and of serene appearence, which is rare in China.. I was moved by loking his serene appearence.The people greeted  him  with the slogan "Bandrmataram" .In the afternoon they were taken for sight seeing outside the city.On 13th april in the morning a wealthy jew Mr. Hardoon invited them to his garden house. He became a life-member of Viswabharati Sammilani.
During day time Rabindranath was greeted by the local Sikh  and Hindu community.
They went to see the co-researcher of Rudolf Eucken , Dr. Cursun Chung.