Rabindranath in West and South India (contd-8)

Rabindranath came to Ceylon accompanying Andrews on 11th Oct. and became a guest of Dr. W. A. de Silva and stayed at the palacious building Shrabonti in Edinburgh Crescent. Next  day 12th Oct he went to visit the local Teachers' Training College along with Dr. Silva. The vice-principal G.E.Hardinge took him to see the College. He delivered a lecture in the assembly of Teachers and the students and expressed his hope that some of them might go to see Viswabharati. At the request of the audience he read some poems from gardener.
W. A. de Silva, another Karava philanthropist, mortgaged his “Sravasti’ mansion to settle D. B. Jayatilleke’s staggering debts at the Colombo YMBA and lost his mansion. “Sravasti’. His mansion still exists near the Colombo Museum. It's now a hostel for government Ministers.
Rabindranath wrote a letter to the then teacher, Dhirendranath Mukhopadhyay of Santiniketan  expressing his willingness to collect funds by the members of the Ashram as was done by Boudha Vikshu but he himself became tired out of the  drive of fund collection and expressed this in aletter written to Indira Devi;
" I'm moving from door to door for collection of fund for Viswabharati with a beggar's bowl. I should say I'm carrying it in my neck and not in my hand. I'm not efficient in this job nor it is satisfactory.  When my mind becomes tired, Viswabharati appears to me as illusion - when I was writing poems, it was much better for me - a real one. Now, when I wanted to lay down the foundation of an honest work, it becomes an illusion. Will it survive ? The idea of a thing is lively but it cannot be made alive in an iron cage. If it can find a place in human mind it will survive.Any way Huind scripture asked us to sow the seed without looking for its result. So, in this way we shall proceed and finish our journey at the end of our life."
Rathindranath started for Ceylon to give company to his father and would reach on 19th Oct.