Sunday, April 1, 2012

Rabindranath and South India (contd-8)

Thanjavur, formerly Tanjore, is a municipality and the headquarters of the Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The name Thanjavur is derived from "Tanjan", a legendary asura in Hindu mythology. Thanjavur is one of the ancient cities in India and has a long and varied history dating back to the Sangam period..
On 12 Feb in the morning Rabindranath started for Tanjore. On the way the local resident of a railway statation named Pasupathikoil garlanded him and Vedic Brahmins offered him with a Pitcher full of sacred water.At about 9 A.M. the train reached Tanjore Station when the VIPs guided by V.A.Bhandayar greeted him and became his host in his house. In the afternoon he visited the Union Club and Havloc Library and signed in the declaration paper  of his own written books. He also signed in the visitors' book and expressed his gratitude. He went to  Basant lodge with a car to meet the members. He, then, arrived in Government Training School and was greeted by the Headmaster Appaswami Ayar and other teachers. Quotations from the writings of Rabindranth Tagore and sceneries of diffrent Dramas were hung on the wall of the school building.The students of the School staged "Chitra". Rabindranath read the essay "The Message of the Forest" in the Local Theatre Hall . Lastly he witnessed the drama "Sakuntala" staged by Sudarshan Sabha. 
After coming back to Trichinapalli , on 13 Feb, he read the essay " Education in India " [ The centre of Indian Culture] and witnessed a drama staged for charity to Santiniketan.
He wrote to Rathindranath;
"I thought to go home via Bombay and deliver some lectures there. I'msinding money off and on , hope you are getting it. I think that it is better to spend money for permanent source of income of Santiniketanby purchasing land or by depositing money in some investment plan.Now the whole country is looking for its betterment. We must not neglect it to be worsened. If you or somebody would have come with me, you could understand how much eager and respect Santiniketan earn these days from the country men. I'm afraid of this and sometimes get frightened -- this is not a thing to rejoice, if we can't fulfill their wishes. Though I have to move here and there and being tired still the visit to south India is successful . If I haven't come here, I would have done injustice. If Santiniketan does not grow in the manner I like , I can't get peace even after my death.
The professors and teachers are not thinking about it seriously as the high hopes it created in the minds of persons outside it. I'm concerned only for that reason."
But he couldn't go to Bombay.