Friday, April 6, 2012

Rabindranath and Romain Rolland (contd-1)

Rabindranath was busy in protesting against the terrorism inflicted by the ruling class on the national level. In the mean time, Romain Rolland (1868-1944), French litterateur and intellectual , approached him to join the movement against the international terrorism. Rolland, Henry Barbusse (Henri Barbusse, May 17, 1873, Asnières-sur-Seine—August 30, 1935, Moscow, was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party and other peaceful persons and eye witness of 1st WW and  wanted to organize an International Forum against the  World's imperialist powers.  They have prepared a proclamation titled, "Declaration of Independence of the Spirit" to send it to different countries of the world with like thinking. 
Rolland was attracted to Rabindranath by reading the translated form of Gitanjali of Rabindranath, translated by Andre Gide published in the journal, "Nuvel Revu Francej", in the first decade of twentieth century. He also was moved by reading his essay " The message of India to Japan" delivered in Tokyo University and published in Outlook from Newyork on 9 Aug 1916. He realised that Rabindranath was also a like thinker. Part of this lecture in a new title " Message de I'Inde an Japan."  he published in his book, Aus Peuples Assassins.