"For the last few weeks we have been roving through the slopes of Siberia, over the mountains of Switzerland, into the Deserts of Arabia, ...We are on the 3rd Sept from Liverpool on the "City of Lahore". Protima and myself should like to go through the continent and go on board from Naples , but we have not divulged our plans to father yet." he again wrote with other informations, " We are going to see the first night of one of Shaw's new plays -- "Androcles and the Lion' this evening."
Rathindranath and Protima Devi had been out according to their plan for Europe tour; After travelling Paris, Lusarn, Rome etc they got the "City of Lahore" ship on 11 Sept. from Naples.
Rothenstein wrote in his autobiography that he and the poet Yeats arranged a dinner in his honour on the last night, 2nd Sept of his departure . This information was published in a paper, namely "The Inquirer"
" Although a small gathering of English friends met to bid him farewell on the night before he left London."
Rothenstein mentioned a funny tale remembering this incident which was as follows;
After the dinner Rabindranth was requested to sing his National Song .Rabindranath started to sing the national song "Bandemataram", but after singing two lines , he stopped as because his memory failed. Yeats started to sing his Irish national song and he also stopped after singing two lines because he could not remember further, then Arnest Ridge started to sing his national song of Wales, and that was the first time in his life that he forgot to sing more than a line. Rothenstein too wanted to sing "God save the King.." and faced the same problem.
The Manchestor Gaurdian during day time published the news of the departure of Rabindranath Tagore on 3rd Sept,1913.Rabindranath reached Bombay station on 27th Sept when he had answer several questions put by the reporters. His answers were published in The Bombay Chronicle and Morning Post, Observer of London.
He boarded the ship when he went to London from the same port and came back to his own land after one year 4 months. After a few days he wrote to Edward Thomson, describing ;
" When i reached Bombay, I saw a lot of people with garlands . I thought they were waiting to garland some official. My heart sank when I found that they were waiting to make a public show of me there." Not only the visitors but also the reporters from Associated Press asked questions. In reply to that he said;
" I met most delightful literary people who were all very kind and most appreciative. As soon as embarked on our return voyage we were at once made to feel that our fellow-passengers were quite different from the class we were associated with in England."
On that very day Rabindranath started for Calcutta and reached on 29th Sept, on the day of Mahalaya, where he was welcomed by many people in Howrah Station.
