Thursday, July 7, 2011

Santiniketan (contd-33)

Brahmacharyasram of Santiniketan was not female-less since its beginning and.the number of females  were also increasing in the school.  Rajlakshmi Devi, wife of Dwipendranath (Baroma Hemlata Devi), Dinendranath's wife Kamala Devi, Wife of Subodh chandra and his daughter Latika, Mira Devi, Daughter of Jagadananda,  Durgeshnandini, Tarulata and Parul, Daughters of Sudhindranath ; Rama Devi had started living in Santiniketan. Though they were not regular students of the School, still under the instruction of Rabindranath the teachers in their leisure time taught them. Rabindranath wrote to Subodh Chandra  that after completing Sohrab Rustam, Mira should be given lesson from Tennyson's Enoch Ardent. Rabindranath himself prepared a directory for teaching Kabya of Mathew Arnold.Subodh Chandra also taught other female students.  Ajit Kumar coached Hemalata and in the absence of Rabindranath he tutored her. Rabindranath wrote to Mira that Hemalata used to come during day time to take her lesson. He invited Labanya Lekha, an early widow to stay in Santiniketan. Within two years a temporary Girl's School was started there. The school began to grow without any preparation but it was stopped in the interest of the main school.