Rabindranath to South America (contd-2)

He stayed for one day in Ceylon and started with his party on 24th Sept. at 8 AM by a Japanese ship Haruna Maru. But the ship was a cargo ship and it took almost whole day to get it loaded with luggage but  the weather of the next day was not favourable.
In the japanese ship Rabindranath was given a king's reception. Girijapati wrote about his cabin;
" The cabin of Rabindranath Tagore was in the status of a state cabin.There was a drawing room, a small reading room, a bed room with gold plated cot .The whole space was covered with thick carpet."
They had started their journey in the cloudy weather so that the door of his mind was closed. This was expressed in the first place of his diary.
Surendranath Kar was accompanying him in this journey. He wrote his experience of this journey in his diary which was published in Santiniketan in Agrahayan issue , titled, " Jahajer Chithi".The sea was almost calm though there were rains etc. still Pratima Devi, Girijapati Bhattacharya and Bijoy Basu suffered from sea-sickness. Surendranath wrote that the weather was sunny on the third day of their journey and they became gradually fit. The captain of Suamaru ship informed his good wish by wire. He was coming from U.K and as at least 150 miles away.He would meet tomorrow. Eye-witness reported that the ship, "Suamaru", passed very close to the other ship. All the people within the ship cheered Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath reached Port-Said on 3rd Oct and Marceilles of France on 12th Oct The ship Haruna-Maru and he get down there with his party. all of them took shelter in the Guest House of Kann. Elmhirst met with them at that place.
A vivid description of the guest house could be obtained in the "Smriticharan" written by Surendranath Kar. He wrote on Monday (14th Oct, 1924;
" I went to American Express office in the morning and collected tickets for Peru by Ship.At about 11.30 AM I met with one of the Minister of Peru. They had their lunch at 12.30 PM with Sylvain Levy.This arrangement was made to welcome . They went to visit the studio of Mr. Wilson of St. Cloud at 9.30 AM arranged by Prof. Geddes.  They took their lunch with Madam Tulmein at 12.30 PM. and went to meet Madam Rana at 40 Ave Charles Floquet. On 18th Oct at 10.30 AM Rabindranath started for South America with Elmhirst by the ship S.S.Andes from Sherboorg fort.
But Rabindranath caught chill on the boat, it developed into flu, he prepared to die after some hesitation and promptly got well, never ceasing to turn his imagination into poetry even at his worst."
On 18th Oct Rabindranath wrote a poem titled"Aparachita" ( in the manuscript it was "Path"). This poem was edited with deep black ink so that it took the shape of an "architecture" which also reflects the shape of a pointed mouth of an animal. It seems one is sitting on the other. Some poetic lines is overlooking between the gaps of the geometric figures. This drawing is done with thick lines on the white paper. The next poetry "Anmona" was also written on 18th Oct. The whole page was filled up with thick lines of geometric figures. On one main diagram, there are heads of different animals where the eyes are very prominent.....
This was the first attempt of Rabindranath's style of drawing.
On 26th Oct he wrote to Prasantachandra;
" I am  floating on the sea and will reach a port of Brazil within  few days. Then we shall go to Argentina very soon. I think it will reach there on 6th Nov. This time I have no programme of delivering lecture and I am writing poems gladly. I have not written so many poems so far after leaving India.On Indian ocean I wrote verses as well as prose, but here I am writing only poems.In seven days I wrote 12 poems which was difficult for me to write even in my country..'  

    

Rabindranath Tagore to South America (contd-1)

Rabindranath Tagore changed the date for starting his journey, several times, for South America. Ultimately he started  with his party on 19the Sept.,1924. Here was a reporting from Anandabazar Patrika in the afternoon issue, "aparahne" that he started for Madras by Howrah mail on 19th Sept. In the party there were Rathindranath, Pratima Devi, Nandini, Surendranath Kar, Girijapati Bhattacharya, and Bijoy Basu. Girijapati, the brother of Dr. Pashupati Bhattacharya wrote;
" When he heard that I have determined to go to France for study how to  manufacture scent, he told to be his co-passanger, The poet said, ' Bijoy Basu was nominated from  Viswabharati for going to France to be trained in industry for scent. He also nominated me to go to France from Viswabharati."" though both of them were going with their own fund."
The train reached Madras on 21st Sept in the morning.  Before that he was awakened by a group of scout boys in the station of Villapuram to accord  falicitation to me. An unknown Patrika reported;

" The "Sivaji Rovers" of Vallapuram , with their Scout  Master, Mr.K.RR. Sastry M.A. waited at the Vallapuram Railway Station on 21.9.24 to read an address of bon voyage to Dr. Rabindranath Tagore. Dr. Tagore  was was fast asleep in his carriage when Scouter K.R.R.Sastry gently wake him up. Through all too weary, he was full of gracious smiles when he saw many eager scouts rounded him him. Th poet was garlanded and an address was readby Mr. Sastry and presented to him. In reply, Dr. Tagore  said, that scouts in India should not be content with the stereotyped types of drills and games which found favor in the west ....The poet appreciated the fact that songs of the Tamil saints were sung daily by the Rovers. The poet gave an account of the good work done by his Scouts in villages by way of removing the marshes and cleansing wells.
He reached Madras  on 21 Sept and started for Colombo in the evening on that day. He reached there on 23rd Dec.  Ceylon Observer   wrote; " Dr. Rabindranath Tagore arrived in Colombo this morning by the Talaimanner route and proceeded to Sravasti, Cinamons Garden, the residence of Dr. W.A. de Silva, where he remained during his stay in Colombo....

Rabindranath Tagor in South America -1924

This time his foreign tour was full of uncertainty.The Englishman wrote on 17th Sep;
" Dr. Rabindranath Tagore is expected to leave Calcutta for Clombo to-day ( Wednessday) by the Madras mail. He will take the boat from there and proceed to Spain."

Rabindranath had to leave Calcutta on 17th Sep but due to his physical inability he left Calcutta on 19th Sep. In a meeting of the Viswabharati Sammilani, Andrews submitted a tour programme of Rabindranath which revealed the gaps between the proposed programme and its application. He said that Rabindranath would start from Calcutta on 18th May to go to Pithapuram.He would stay there for one/two days then  he would go to Marcelles by a ship named 'Harunamaru'  of Nippon Eusen Kaisa C o. to go to Marcelles. . Elmhirst would join with him at that place and they would go to Paris.From Paris Rabindranath would go to Spain from the city Vigo of Spain they would start in the first half of November and reach at the end of Nov to Callao, Peru.
The ship would stop at Cuba and Havana and would pass through Panama canal and passing through Panama canal and would take the western border line of South America to reach callao.This city is very close to Lima, Capital of Peru.
Rabindranath had to reach there before the centenary of Independence day of Peru started. All the countries of South America had celebrated their Independence day. The first celebration was held on 1910 and Peru would celebrate its independence day at the last.Their date of salvation was 9 Dec1824. He would go to Chile from Lima from that place he would go to Argentina . Then he would go to Italy from Maxico.

Rabindranath to Japan -1924

On 29th May at about 10 PM in the night Rabindranath with his luggage and his associates  got up in the ship "Sanghai Maru" to go to Japan.. The ship started for Japan on 30th May. Rabindranath had to stay there for 15 days. This invitation was given to him by "Kobe-Tagore -Society . A Japanese businessman was sponsoring this tour of Rabindranath.The account of his visit to Japan was written by Suchandra Basu.
Rabindranath delivered many lectures in Japan.
Rabindranath came back to Santiniketan on 22nd July and stayed there upto 9th aug 1924.
On 16th Sep at 6 PM in the evening Rabindranath was presiding over a meeting of Viswabharati Sammilani held at Dwarakanath tagore Lane. The secretary of the Sammilani informed that Gurudev would leave Calcutta on 18th Sep. He would go to South America .

Rabindranath in China - Sanghai

Rabindranath passed three nights and two days on the Yangsi river and reached Sanghai at about 10 AM on 28th May.Kalidas Nag wrote, " We passed two days with Gurudev happily.he was always in deep thought, it is ammazing to see more and more.Suddenly , we had a discussion on death and life after death.The sun is setting behind the river. He was talking about the death of his youngest son Shamindranath.He was saying and his eyes became filled with tears. Having reached Sanghai Rabindranath boarded in the house of an Italian businessman G.A.Bena and the associates of Rabindranath took their seat in the house of an Indian businessman Lalchand. Mrs. Bena was a promoter of learning. She invited some of her European friend in her  sitting room and requested Rabindranath to say something about learning. The lecture ofRabindranath was published in Talks In China (1924) , titled "at Mrs. Bena's Sanghai."

Here he explained again of his aims and objects of establishment of his school. He said,  " I believe that children should be surrounded with the things of nature which have their own educational value. Their minds should be allowed to stumble on and be surprised at everything that happens in the life of to-day. The new to-morrow will stimulate their attention with new facts of life. This is the best method for the child. he also described his experience in his school days and said, " I always had it in my mind to create an atmosphere . This I felt was more important than the teaching in the clssroom. 

On 29th April, Rabindranath went to a Japani School to attend a lunch, arranged in honour for him for bidding him farewell. 

In the afternoon he was given a welcome joyfully in the Garden House of Carson Chang. The chinese intellectuals assembled there to bid him farewell..     

Rabindranath in China -Hangkow (contd - 1)

No sooner had the lecture of Rabindranath finished, a group of youths from the audience stood up said loudly in Chinese language,
" Go, back; servant, of a subservient country. We don't want philosophy, we want materialism." - uttering this they began to wave placards, written with these words. Kalidas Nag became afraid and thought that they might strike Gurudev. But no such things happened. The youths came in front of Tagore and asked, "Dr. Tagore, we can't understand your argument against science.It is so hard."
Rabindranath didn't take it seriously as if it was nothing serious. In the afternoon, on that day, he read the essay , first read in Peking, "First Public Talk in Peking" in the open play ground of Wuchang before 700 people. He said empatically, " it is barbarism to depend on mechanical power and those who  depended on this power either remained as barbarous or have been vanished. kailidas nag wrote, "He said, forcefully, "you have called me untimely, now, your mind is after sucess - material prosperity at any cost but I say what our ancestors pointed out is 'you may get things what you want, may be more of your expectation but if you don't stand on irresistable power of  soul based on religion, nothing remains permanently."
On the very night Rabindranath left Hangchou and started for Sanghai by ship, Kut Woo.      
After dinner Rabindranath was greeted by about 200 Sikhs and Hindus. they remained standing till the ship left the shore. The ship sailed at 9.30 PM. 

Rabindranath in China - Hangkow -1924

Hangkow

The city's name literally means "The Mouth of the Han", referring to its location on the north bank of the confluence of the Han and Yangtze Rivers. The name appears in a Tang Dynasty poem by Liu Changqing. Other historical names for the city include Xiakou.
On 25th May, Rabindranath with his party reached Hangkow and boarded in a five star Hotel Wagon lits, constructed in European style. The people there also look like European.  
Stephen Hey described ; " Hangkow was situated on the bank of Yangsi river and was know as  the 'Chicago of China'. This was also the site of revolution against Manchu dynasty in 1911. There lived  7 lacs of people in Hangkow, Hanyang, and Wuchang and these three cities  became the  ultra modern city now a days. Moreover, the revival of Budhism under the leadership of T 'ai Hsu was started from this place. In 1922, a Budhist College was established in Wuchang and the head office of the Young Men's Budhist Association  was established in Hangkow. Stephen Hey wrote, " With strong organisations of both leftists and Budhists on the scene, the stage in Hangkow-Wuchangwas set for a final clash between Tagore and his fiercest antagonists in China.The intellectuals of Budhists arranged a lecture in the open space of the Supporting Virtue Middle School of Hangkow. There were mostly the students and youths amongst the audience of where Rabindranath explained the two reasons of his coming to China.  Firstly, to be acquainted  with the Chinese youths, and , secondly, to acquire knowledge of ancient Chinese civilization which was well connected with Indian culture. Uniting these two        
   items, he invited the youth listeners to make a balance between the modern scientific discoveries and the spiritual attainment of ancient Eastern Civilization. 

He said , " On your shoulders, my beloved young people, lies this responsibility . Like the dawning of the rising sun, you young people are full of promise. You have a great responsibility, and you should advance with determination. Do not let our Eastern civilisation imitate whatever is done in Western civilisation.I hope very much that more Chinese students  will come to India to study the principles of Chinese and Indian culture, for these two cultures are intimately related . Young people, I urge you to exert yourselves."