Robert Bridges and Rabindranath (contd-5)

The poem 67 of Gitanjali

The poem of Gitanjali of Rabindrantath no.67, was much fascinating to Bridges, that was why he thought that his anthology would remain incomplete in absence of this poem. Even he wrote to Sir Frederick on 22nd July;
"Meanwhile my book is going to press and if at the last moment I find the poem prohibited, it can be deleted and a blank space left where it shd be."
Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin)
But Bridges was an obstinate person who became excited at the 'impertenence' of Rabindranath and wrote to Rothenstein;
" Tagore showed such evident reluctance that when I read his letter  I determined to let him have his way, but I thought  I wd give myself another chance."
The other characters of the above story became annoyed with Rabindranath because he made the way of Andrews to poke his nose into the said incidence. After the recovery from Cholera at Simla, Andrews wrote to Rothenstein;
" I wanted so much to tell you not to trouble in the slightest any more about the Ridges incident. It all passed over like a summer cloud & the sun was shining again... There was nothing  -- here  never had been anything -- in the poet's mind .. concerning you, or concerning the action you took. That was only amusement with him."
Having read this letter, Rothenstein became displeased and  expressed his irritation in the letter written to Rabindtranath on 28th Jul. which was more intense in the letter written to Bridges;

" [Tagore] is I think under the influence of an English Missionary, sweet and and well meaning enough, but without any sense of literature and very little of the masculine side of life. He flatters the sentimental side of Tagore, and does not understand the more natural and humorous side of his nature  -- the best side, in fact."

Though he had written the letter in excitement but he tried to analyse the character of Andrews and without mentioning the name of Andrews he wrote a letter to another Missionary Edward Thompson;

"[ Tagore] has been  the mischief-maker."

Bridges also ridiculed Andrews in the letter written to Rothenstein on 28th Sep;

" I have no scruple in doing a good service to Tagore st h is will - or perhaps against Mr. Andrews."

Prof. Sourindra Mitra had written in detail the correspondence in this episode.