Sunday, April 29, 2012

Rabindranath in Holland (contd-1)-1920

(In 1925 the NV Nederlandsche Thermochemische Fabrieken (NTF) was founded by José Vigeveno, M. Kan and Karel Mozes. One year later the first factory started in the village Sumar in Friesland. It was the first factory in the Netherlands that could destroy dead bodies. Nowadays the name of the business is Rendac. In the village Sumar a street is named after the founder of the factory: José Vigevenoweg.)
On 20thy Sept,1920, Jose Vigeveno and some other members of the Reception Committee came to Rabindranath to fix up his programme.  Dr. Eeden was also present there. He had some reservation in fixing up programme so early, specially to the proposal to deliver the lecture at Amersfoort International Schoolof Philosophy. But the objection was not granted. His grievance was expressed on the following day in a letter;
" You said you didnot want to get into whirlpoolof public engagements", And now you plunged in headlong and my endeavour to help you failed pitifully...Mr. Vigeveno is a very practical and well-meaning  manbut he is a Jew with the usual Jewish characteristics ...He will be parading with you for a fortnight and have the finest time of his life. But this is not what humanity wants.. your program will leave you in no time for quiet and profound conversation with those persons who can further the great cause of humanity."
Prasanta Kumar Paul, writer of Rabi-jibani,said that  it was found in sevetal times within and outside India   the desire to extend influence over Rabindranath and those who were deprived of doing so got annoyed.  
After being fixed the programme Rabindranath went with Dr. Eeden to his residence at Bussum. Other than  Dr.Eeden Rabindranth was introduced with two other poets.One, Henri Borel, and the other, Raden Mas Noto Suroto. Borel translated two dramas of Rabindranath, The King of the Dark Chamber [1914] and The Post Office [1916]  in Dutch. The second one became very much popular in Holland.
The Javanese poet Noto Suroto , in his early life was influenced by Rabindranath and imitated his prosody to write verses in prose form.He published two books on Rabindranath from his press at Hague. He was so fond of Rabindranath that he gave the name of his eldest son after the name of Rabindranarth as Rawindra noto Suroto. One day Rabindranath asked him to bring his son. One day he brought his son though he was a bit afraid of a person having long beard. Rabindranath bending him picked up the boy . " Less than three minutes later, Rawindra was sitting on Tagore's knee, two human beings were contemplating each other , and although the child could not understand the other's languaqge, he was stroking the silvery beard of the poet and sage from India."