Rathindranath and Santiniketan (contd-43)

Rabindranath decided to send Rathindranath to America for getting him trained in Agricultural Science. He surely had started communication earlier with Urbano Agricultural College. The expenses for purchasing some emergency materials for going to America was found in the official cash book dated 25 Feb 1906. The farewell of Rathindranath and Santosh Chandra  was arranged on 12 March at Santiniketan. They had some acquittance with Anushilan Samity after joining in the Movement for withdrawal of the order of  "Division of Bengal". Jibantara Halder wrote ;
"After few days RathinThakur, Nagen Ganguli and Santosh Majumdar started for America for getting themselves trained for "Introduction of National Education" in our country." A meeting was arranged at the central office (49 Corrnwallis Street) for bidding the farewell. Rabindranath was present on the occasion, delivered his welcoming address and took dinner with the members of the Samity."The autobiographer of Rabndranth wrote that Rathindranath and Santosh Chandra started for America via Japan in a steamer on 3rd April 1906.
Surendranath took the charge of Zamindary after the death of Maharshi Devendranath. He changed some duties of the office clerks.

SANTOSH PATHSALA Santosh Pathsala was established in 1988. This Kindergarten School is in the memory of one of the earliest students of Tagore's asrama and later, staff of Visva-Bharati, Santosh Chandra Majumdar. This school is modeled on the lines of Mrinalini Ananda Pathsala. Here children are provided an exposure to the work of schools and learning in the open. Most children are first generation learners and the years spent here make for a smooth transition to main stream high school education. The children move on to Siksha-Satra after successful completion of two years. Rathindranath and Santosh Chandra Majumdar started for Japan on 3rd April and on 22 April Santosh Chandra wrote Rabindranath, " We reached Hong Kong on day before yesturday. We went for visiting Canton and could not find time for writing you." He wrote a letter to Mira Devi on reaching Tokyo on 18 May describing the Joyful mood of the Japanese after their victory against Russia. Rathindranath wrote a similar description in his "Pitri-Smriti". Here he also described how he has passed in the examination of his eye sight and boarde the ship in a third clss seat for America. But he did not describe how they have reached Urbano through  Sanfransisco being affected by earthquake. But he described that it was winter when they have reached through frost-wave. An article, titled "Student life in America", was published in "The Bengalee" on 2 Jan 1907 by a writer from Ilionois, may be, it was Rathindranath.