Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rabindranath and Viswa Bharati (contd-11)



Uttarayan Complex
The Uttarayan Complex where the poet, Rabindranath Tagore lived consists of several buildings in a distinct architectural style. There is also a Prayer Hall, founded in 1863 where Brahmo prayers are held on Wednesday. It has a polished marble floor usually decorated with alpana designs and is surrounded by glass doors with patterns picked out in stained glass. In a house known as Vichitra, his manuscripts, paintings, different editions of his works, his Noble Prize Gold Medal, and other objects associated with him are kept.

Uttarayan Complex consists of five buildings-1. Uttarayan,2.Shyamali,3. Konarka,4. Udichi,and 5. Punascha.
Rabindranath constructed a house named Uttarayan in the open field on the north side of the temple. He was thinking of staying in that solitary place during Puja vacation. But it was occupied by a guest and he had to go to Shilong. After coming back to Santiniketan he decided to formally enter the house. He came to Santinikwetan on 13th Novand wrote to Ranu on the next day,
" There are clouds in the sky and it is drizzling.The rain in the winter is like the cry of an elder person- causing displeasure.Today I had to shift my belonging to the new house. But in this cloudy day one can not think of moving.If sun appears tomorrow, I shall move, otherwise I shall sit at the corner of the room of Dinoo (Dehali)and keep quite reserved. Previously Rabindranath used to stay here."
Any way he shifted to the new building within a day or two and wrote Amiya Chakraborty on 27th Nov,
" I have changed my residential accomodation in Santiniketan. Now I am living in the field alone - you can say,  a new country.I like too much to sit idly here.But my does not favor me." he wrote the same thing to Ranu also.
He described the building to be a ;
" Two buildings were constructed at the far north end in the endless open field and he occupied one of them.The walls are made, as desired by Rabindranath, up of earth.roofs made up of straw, and the doors and windows are made up of mat, The was of earth spread with stones fixing.Only the floor of the bath room is made up of concrete. The poet thought to live simple peaceful life 'far from the ma dying crowd' But In course of time it became a "Konark" .
  
         .