Monday, April 8, 2013

Last year in Tagore's life - 1941


Rabindranath came to Calcutta from Santiniketan on 17th Sept 1940 being  seriously ill. and went to Kalimpong on 19th Sept violating Doctor's advice. He became seriously ill thetre on 26th Sept. Getting the news of his illness Doctors hurried to the spot but could not make him fit. He was again brought to Calcutta on 29th Sept. From 29th sept to 29 th Nov , for two months, he was under treatment. On 29th Nov he again came to Santiniketan. This time he began narrating poems orally which one had to take down.He narrated " Dada haba chila bisham shakh". . 25 th July 1941 he laft Santiniketan for ever and came to calcutta for treatment.
On 30 th July he narrated his last poem "Sesh Lekha" which was taken down by A.K.Sen, brother of first Chief Election Commissioner (Sukumar Sen (1899–1961) was an Indian civil servant who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, serving from 21 March 1950 to 19 December 1958.[1] Under his leadership, the Election Commissionsuccessfully administered and oversaw independent India's first two general elections, in 1951–52 and in 1957. He also served as first Chief Election Commissioner in Sudan.
Sen was the older brother of the more famousAshoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996), Union Law Minister and a noted Indian barrister. Another brother was Amiya Kumar Sen, an eminent doctor, who was the last man to seeRabindranath Tagore alive.), prior to his operation.. He used to tell poems verbally.On the
The Government of Tripura sent a messenger to offer him a title of "Bharat Bhaskar" on 13th May 1941..

Rail coach used by Rabindranath Tagore 
২৫ জুলাই ১৯৪১, রবীন্দ্রনাথ শেষবারের মতো শান্তিনিকেতন ছেড়ে চলে গেলেন। ইস্ট ইন্ডিয়ান রেল তাঁর জন্য একটি বিশেষ রেল কোচের ব্.
Tagore's remit expanded to science in his last years, as hinted in Visva-Parichay, 1937 collection of essays. His respect for scientific laws and his exploration of biology, physics, and astronomy informed his poetry, which exhibited extensive naturalism and verisimilitude. He wrote the process of science, the narratives of scientists, into stories in Se (1937), Tin Sangi (1940), and Galpasalpa (1941). His last five years were marked by chronic pain and two long periods of illness. These began when Tagore lost consciousness in late 1937; he remained comatose and near death for a time. This was followed in late 1940 by a similar spell. He never recovered. Poetry from these valetudinary years is among his finest.A period of prolonged agony ended with Tagore's death on 7 August 1941, aged eighty;and 3months he was in an upstairs room of the Jorasanko mansion he was raised in. The date is still mourned. 
I'm lost in the middle of my birthday. I want my friends, their touch, with the earth's last love. I will take life's final offering, I will take the human's last blessing. Today my sack is empty. I have given completely whatever I had to give. In return if I receive anything—some love, some forgiveness—then I will take it with me when I step on the boat that crosses to the festival of the wordless end. But the operation couldn't make his survive. He died on 7th Aug 1941.At the time of his death he was 80 yrs and 3 months of age.



May 8, 2012 at 6:53 am (Uncategorized)

Dear Friends,

On the occasion of the 151th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, we are publishing, as a mark of tribute, a very rare photograph of his. This photograph, in fact, is his last photograph and it was taken while he was being brought to Kolkata from ‘Santiniketan’ in July 1941, that is, a few weeks before his demise in August 1941.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation)

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Gandhiji in Santiniketan, last visit - 1940





Gandhiji came to Santiniketan  for the last time with his wife,  on 6 February, 1940. Gandhiji was greeted in the Amrakunja . Next day he visited Santiniketan. Rabindranath requested Gandhiji to take over the charge of Viswabharati while he was leaving Santiniketan on 19th february, 1940.
Rabindranath inaugurated the Telephone in his office at Santiniketan on 24th July, 1940.
Oxford University awarded Honourary Doctorate degree to Rabindranath Tagore on 7 Aug 1940.
Rabindranath came to Calcutta for treatment on 17th Sept 1940, and was advised to take rest. But he went to Kalimpong  on 19th Sept..
He became seriously ill in Kalimpong. Having learnt his illness the Doctors hurriedly went to the spot and he was taken to Calcutta. He remained confined to bed for two months. But wrote a poem "Rogasajhya".
He came to Santiniketan when he used to utter Rhymes (Chara) orally.   The eight months he stayed in Santiniketan totally bedridden.He didnot take any nursing from any person so far but now he was under the care of two nurses.
Even in his illness he used to say poetry orally.
  

Subhas Chandra Basu in Santiniketan and grand daughter Nandini got married.- 1939

Subhas Chandra Basu, Congress President, came to Santiniketan on  21st January, 1939. He was greeted both in Bolpur and in Santiniketan. Jawaharlal Nehru opened the Hindi Bhavan in Santiniketan. Subhas Chandra again came to Santiniketan when Jawaharlal Nehru was also in
 Santiniketan. Both of them discussed separately with Rabindranath.
In the month of February Babu Rajendra Prasad and Lord Bishop Metropolitan from Calcutta came to

Santiniketan.
Rabindranath congratulaed Subhas Chandra by wire informing him about his correct attitude of keeping his dignity and forbearance against the ill treatment of the then Congress Leader.
rabindranath was invited by Subhas Cghandra Basu to lay the Foundation Stone of Mahajati Sadan in Calcutta which was accepted by him and the job was performed.
 The first volume of the Collected works of Rabindranath along with his introductory notes was published on 11 nov 1939.
On Dec 20, he sent a telegram to Gandhiji about Subhas Chandra Basu.
The grand daughter Nandini (adopted by Rathindranath) was married on 30th Dec 1939. 

Saturday, April 6, 2013

"Chandalika" and Maitrayee Devi and Rabindranath's paintings exhibition opened in London- 1938

Rabindranath came to Calcutta for his treatment. At the same time a team from Santiniketan also came to Calcutta for stage performance of Chandalika. Chandalika was staged in Chaya Cinema hall. Rabindranath was advised not to go to the hall. But ignoring Doctor's advice he went there.
Though Chandalika was first staged in Santiniketan in Dolutsab (Basanta Utsab).
Rabindranath came to Kalimpang this time in summer  vacation. A recitation done by Rabindranath was broadcasted from Radio in Kalimpang. Then he went to Mangpu at the invitation of  Maitreyee Devi. he stayed there for about a month in June.
This time Sarbapalli Radhakrishnan, Dr. Meghnad Saha, Lady Anne Hope, wife of Governor Lord Linlithgo,  and her daughter visited Santiniketan..
 Maitreyi Devi (or Maitreyī Devī) (September 1, 1914 – January 29, 1989) was a Bengali-born Indian poet and novelist, the daughter of philosopher Surendranath Dasgupta and protegé of poet Rabindranath Tagore. She was the founder of the Council for the Promotion of Communal Harmony in 1964, and vice-president of the All-India Women’s Coordinating Council. Her first book of verse appeared when she was sixteen, with a preface by Rabindranath Tagore. She wrote Rabindranath--the man behind his poetry.She was the basis for the main character in Romanian-born writer Mircea Eliade's 1933 novel Bengal Nights. In her Na Hanyate novel, written as a response to Bengal Nights, Maitreyi Devi denied claims of a sexual affair between her and Eliade during the latter's sojourn in British India.
Havel Hall in Kalabhavan in Santiniketan was opened and the Poet delivered a lecture on this occasion .
Lord Jetland opened a painting exhibition of Rabindranath in London.