Saturday, September 10, 2011

Rathindranath and Santiniketan (contd-44)

Rasbindranth's youngest daughter, Mira, was to be married to Nagendranath Gangopadhyay on 23 Jaishthya. After their marriage Nagendranath would be sent to America for training in Agricultural Science. Rathi and Nagendranath would be absorbed simultaneously.
During the movement against "Division of Bengal' the name of Rabindranath was black-listed by the police. The police was curious about his poem "Namaskar" and also they were watchful about Brahmacharyasram. Rajlakshmi Devi wrote Rathindranath on 4th Sept 2007,
"Perhaps you know that your father does not possess good name in the police document. The Government has prosecuted Arabindo Ghosh, the editor of "Bandemataram" .Perhaps you know this.  Your father has written a poem wishing  him which has been circulated throughout Calcutta and was published in Bhadra issue of Bangadarshan. In that poem he didnot show faithfulness to the government. For all these reasons they were displeased with him. Yesterday we got a sign of that. On all a sudden a man came to our place, apparent intention of him was to inspect the school.  Your father felt some doubt about the man. He, at first, introduced him with the teachers and left the place in a hurry. But the man did not relieve him so easily.He began to search this and that and asked the students whether they undergo training of bamboo-sticks or sword or gun etc. We had a Volunteer Band amongst the students now a days.12/14 students are practicing, every day, different difficult training. They are instructed by blowing bugle. On hearing the sound of the bugle, the doubt of the man became sound. At last he went to inspect nook and corner, from Laboratory to kitchen  searching everthing. After the lunch he interrogated your father for long time on different issues. He pretended to show that he is eager to establish a school of this type and asked to be frank to inform him in details about the school. Ultimnately your father told him that you may please see all the rooms but you will not be able to find anything which you want to see. We donot prepare bombs like things. Then he went away and did not stay in Santiniketan even on repeated requests.
Another person came , and halted for 2/3 days."
Rabindranath  wrote Rathindra to make Nagendranath convince to take up agricultural Science instead of Ceramic. "Try your best so that Nagendra become stout and bold like a man. I find him  shading tears while he writes letter to his brother. That was  typical of the members of Brhmo Samaj. They think that this is the way how one can show his tenderness. But they do not know that this is the sign of disgrace to a maleperson."