Tagore and Burma
Tagore visited Burma three times during the colonial period. He visited Shwedagon Pagoda on May 5, 1916, and Indians in Rangoon celebrated his birthday on May 8 that year at Jubilee Hall in Rangoon. He attended the “Bengali Literature Conference” held in Rangoon on March 24, 1924, and stayed in Rangoon for four days. An inscription engraved in both Burmese and English marks his visit to a building at No. 392-396 Merchant Street, Rangoon, on the east wall of “Guardian Magazine.” He also visited Burma from October 22-24, 1927, for the Dewali Festival.
During his first visit, he noted that Indians were a majority and Burmese were a minority in Rangoon. He wrote, “Burma did not look like Burma when I reached there. Rangoon just exists on a map and it’s as if it didn’t really exist on the ground. In other words, the city does not look like a tree growing from the ground, it looks like a bubble drifting in the water.”
Admirers of Tagore’s literature established the “Burma- Tagore Association” in 1952. Burmese writer Paragu translated at least five books by Tagore. Many of his poems and stories were translated by other writers including Maung Phyu, Zaw Gyi, Min Thu Wun, Mya Than Tint, Myint Soe Hlaing and Hein Latt.
The well-known works of Tagore in Burmese are Gitanjali, Gardener, Stray Birds, and Picking Fruits and Sitra.
On 24th March, 1924, in the morning at about 8 AM before the ship touched the shore and could anchor, some important members of reception committee came to the ship by a steamer and accorded welcome to Rabindranath. The ship having reached the shore a renowned businessman J.A.K.Jamal garlanded Rabindranath and a Burmese lady offered a bunch of flowers to him to welcome him. Then they fetched Rabidranath to a beautiful house at Bigonded Street.The Governor of Burma Sir Harcourt Butler greeted them to offer a lunch. The diary of Kalidas Nag noted that the invitation of the Governor of Burma and the Chinese Community, by this time, reached the ship by wire on 22 nd March..
Tagore visited Burma three times during the colonial period. He visited Shwedagon Pagoda on May 5, 1916, and Indians in Rangoon celebrated his birthday on May 8 that year at Jubilee Hall in Rangoon. He attended the “Bengali Literature Conference” held in Rangoon on March 24, 1924, and stayed in Rangoon for four days. An inscription engraved in both Burmese and English marks his visit to a building at No. 392-396 Merchant Street, Rangoon, on the east wall of “Guardian Magazine.” He also visited Burma from October 22-24, 1927, for the Dewali Festival.
During his first visit, he noted that Indians were a majority and Burmese were a minority in Rangoon. He wrote, “Burma did not look like Burma when I reached there. Rangoon just exists on a map and it’s as if it didn’t really exist on the ground. In other words, the city does not look like a tree growing from the ground, it looks like a bubble drifting in the water.”
Admirers of Tagore’s literature established the “Burma- Tagore Association” in 1952. Burmese writer Paragu translated at least five books by Tagore. Many of his poems and stories were translated by other writers including Maung Phyu, Zaw Gyi, Min Thu Wun, Mya Than Tint, Myint Soe Hlaing and Hein Latt.
On 24th March, 1924, in the morning at about 8 AM before the ship touched the shore and could anchor, some important members of reception committee came to the ship by a steamer and accorded welcome to Rabindranath. The ship having reached the shore a renowned businessman J.A.K.Jamal garlanded Rabindranath and a Burmese lady offered a bunch of flowers to him to welcome him. Then they fetched Rabidranath to a beautiful house at Bigonded Street.The Governor of Burma Sir Harcourt Butler greeted them to offer a lunch. The diary of Kalidas Nag noted that the invitation of the Governor of Burma and the Chinese Community, by this time, reached the ship by wire on 22 nd March..
