Rabindranath and Jawaharlal - Nov 1936

Mainstream Weekly


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MAINSTREAM, VOL XLIX, NO 20, MAY 7, 2011

Tagore and Nehru

This contribution from the distinguished scientist who was closely associated with Tagore for over two decades throws interesting light on the approach and attitude of the two greatest sons of India. It is being reproduced from Mainstream (Republic Day Special 1965) for the benefit of our readers.

by P. C. Mahalanobis

I have read with much interest in Mainstream (June 20, 1964) the article about Jawaharlal Nehru’s talks with Rabindranath Tagore. I had the good fortune to be present on two other occasions and also know about a third occasion when Tagore and Nehru had come together which were not mentioned in the Mainstream article.

Jawaharlal Nehru came to Calcutta to attend meetings of the All India Congress Committee at the end of October 1937. At that time Rabindra-nath Tagore was staying with us at Gooptu Nibas, a house on the Barrackpore Trunk Road in Baranagar. Nehru came one day to see Tagore in this house. After some general conversation, Nehru raised the question of the selection of a national song for India. He was making a collection of patriotic songs in different Indian languages. He mentioned the two Bengali songs, Bande Mataram (by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee) and Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka (by Tagore), and said that he himself was in favour of adopting Jana Gana Mana as the national song in India.

Wider Approach

TAGORE said, as the author of Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, it was difficult for him to express any views. He however agreed that Jana Gana Mana had a wider approach. Nehru referred to the objections which many Muslims had raised to accepting Bande Mataram as the national song. Tagore said he could very well appreciate these objections. He had composed the tune for Bande Mataram for the first time, but only for the first few lines because he himself had difficulty in accepting the portion beginning with “tuam hi Durga”. Muslims could not be expected to accept this part.

Tagore said that he belonged to the Hindu community in the wider sense but, having been brought up in a Brahmo family, he himself found it difficult to accept the imagery of the song. Tagore and Nehru agreed that national songs must be acceptable to the people as a whole. Tagore added with a smile that sometimes one is willing to sacrifice his life for the country but cannot give up a song. As far as I can remember, at Nehru’s request, Tagore sent him a brief note or a letter in this connection.

During this discussion Tagore had stressed that India did not belong to Hindus alone. India also belonged to the Muslims, the Christians and all the other people who came into India, settled here and made it their own country by living and dying in it. Nehru was in sympathy with this outlook. Tagore had always stressed that unity in diversity was the only possible way for India’s national integration. Unity in diversity was the foundation of the Nehru policy in domestic and external affairs. Against Fascism

THE second occasion was just after the Second World War had started in 1939. Tagore was again staying with us in Gooptu Nibas in Baranagar. Nehru had gone to China to see Chiang Kai Shek but on the outbreak of war had hurried back home by air. On landing at Dum Dum airport, he learnt that Tagore was in Calcutta. He came directly from the airport to Gooptu Nibas to see the Poet.

Nehru spoke briefly about his visit to China. His mind was preoccupied with the war. He was convinced that the fight against the fascists was of crucial importance for the world. He was distressed that the Viceroy had declared war on behalf of India without even consulting the leaders of the Opposition in the Central Assembly in which the Congress party was in a majority.

The British Government of India had deprived the Indian people of the opportunity to join the war of their own free choice. He was wondering whether there would be still any possibility of India taking up with self-respect the fight against the fascists.

Nehru came out from Tagore’s room to leave for the city. It was near tea time. I asked him whether he would like to have a cup of tea before going to the city. He smiled and said: “Yes, I shall have a cup of tea.” As he had already come out of Tagore’s room, he said he would prefer to have his tea in the verandah. I showed him a chair on a long verandah on the south, and went to order the tea.

When I came back I found he could not sit still but was pacing up and down the veandah. He was muttering: “Only if the British would give us a chance to fight the fascists—only if they would give us a chance”, and was smashing one clenched fist on the other. I saw how great was his agony that the people of India had been deprived of the opportunity to fight the fascists.

Rabindranath Tagore - 1936

Radha Kumud Mukherjee, also spelled Radhakumud Mookerji, was an Indian historian. he was a noted Indian nationalist during the period of British colonial rule. He published Indian Shipping: A History of Seaborne Trade and Maritime Activity of the Indians from the Earliest Times in 1912. He was an advocate of the notion of Greater India in which Indian merchants and adventurers with huge fleets brought Indians to Southeast Asia and became the foundation of kingdoms in that region.scholarship in the Southeast Asia region
 Such theories have been largely discredited by modern.

. Following the death of CR Das, he (Nalini Ranjan Sarkar), with Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Nirmal Chandra Chunder, Sarat Chandra Bose and Tulsi Chandra Goswami dominated the Congress movement in Bengal and constituted what was known as the "Big Five" of the Bengal Congress. He was elected a Councillor of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation in 1932 and became its Mayor in 1935.
In the month of Aug 1936, litterateur Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Historian Radhakumud Mukhopadhyay, and Politician Tulsi Chandra Goswami came to Santiniketan to fetch Rabindranath Tagore to Calcutta for delivering a lecture there with the intention of forming public opinion against the communal  policy of "divide and rule" of the Prime minister of Great Britain Mac Donald.
The meeting was arranged in the Town Hall, Calcutta, on 15th July 1936.
Rabindranath did not advocate in favour of protecting the interests of the Hindus, nor he said anything against the increasing demands of the majority of Muslim population. He said, " Indians should only desire for a secular democratic country."

Foundation of Lokashiksha Sangsad - 1936

Prabhatkumar Mukhopadhyaya (1892-1985)

Prabhatkumar Mukhopadhyaya was born in Ranaghat, Nadia, in 1892. After passing the Entrance examination, he joined college at the National Council of Education at Bowbazar where he came into contact with inspiring teachers like Benaykumar Sarkar and Radhakumud Mukherjee. He was a voracious reader and loved history and biography. But he could not complete his education because of ill-health. Through Himansuprakas Roy he came into contact with Rabindranath who called him to Santiniketan in 1909. At Santiniketan he received a non-formal education and even while he was studying, he was appointed a teacher of the school in 1910.

In 1918 Prabhatkumar joined Patha-Bhavana as a Librarian and teacher. In 1929 the Rabindra Parichay Sabha, of which he was a founder member, assigned him the task of writing a biography of the poet. The four-volume moumental work, Rabindra-Jivani took over twenty-five years to complete and it laid the foundation for further research on Rabindranath.
Rabindranath made arrangements for foundation of "Lokashiksha Sangsad in Santiniketan. Prabhatkumar Mukhopadhyay perfomed his duty as the founder assistant Secretary of the Sangsad.
Rabindranath became the president of the National Council of Civil Liberties.
Dacca University awarded Honarary Doctorate to Rabindranath Tagore.
  

Marriage of Nandita (daughter of Mira), grand daughter of Rabindranath

Nandita (daughter of Mira), grand daughter of Rabindranath (pic-1)
Mira Debi (Atasi)


Rabindranath’s fourth child Mira Debi, who was his third and youngest daughter, was born on 12 January 1894. She was also called Atasi. Mira Debi was married on 6 June 1907 at the age of 13 years 4 months to Nagendranath Gangopadhyay. They separated in the 1920s. Mira Debi died at Santiniketan in the year 1969 at the age of about 75.
Mira Debi and Nagendranath had two children – a son named Nitindranath (Nitu) (1912- 32) and a daughter named Nandita (Buri married to Krishna Kripalani)) born in 1916.





Pic-2-(Krishna Kripalani with another festival goer in the courtyard.)





Krishna Kripalani have the rare privilege of possessing a sketch painted by Rabidranath Tagore. Also an autographed photograph of his.



No one now remembers Krishna Kriplani. He taught at Santiniketan for nearly 15 years, beginning in 1933. Indira Gandhi was studying at Santiniketan and got to know Krishna well. When she became prime minister, she nominated him to the Rajya Sabha.



Krishna married Tagore’s grand niece on 25th April, 1936, Nandita. Gandhiji and Jawharlal Nehru knew Krishna Kriplani intimately. When Tagore died on August 7, 1941, Nehru was in jail. To Krishna Kriplani he wrote: “I have met many big people in various parts of the world. But I have no doubt in my mind that two biggest I have had the privilege meeting have been Gandhi & Tagore. I think they have been the two outstanding personalities in the world during the last quarter of a century... And I think of the richness of India’s age-long cultural genius which can throw up in the same generation two such master types... .”
Krishna Kriplani’s biography of Tagore, published in London, New York and New Delhi is among the best ever written. It is an inspired work.
He and Indira Gandhi were on first names. She bestowed the Padma Bhushan on a very embarrassed and reluctant Krishna. The declaration of the Emergency appalled and distressed this man of lofty principles and integrity.

When he finally left New Delhi at the end of his second Rajya Sabha term, he, most generously and unexpectedly, gave me the two treasures I have mentioned above. “I am settling in Santiniketan. With Nandita gone (she died of cancer) I have no use for worldly possessions. I know you will take good care of these heirlooms of mine.” I had no words to thank him. Silent acceptance was the only answer

Pic-3-(Krishna Kripalani)

The marriage was performed according to Adi Brahmo Samaj ideology and a registration was done by the 1877/3 act. Rabindranath dedicated his "Patraput " kabya on this occasion.  

Chitrangada Dance Drama - 1936

Rabindranath came back to Santiniketan. He changed the drama Chitrangada to "Chitrangada Dance Drama" and staged the Dance drama in Calcutta New Empire Theatre on 11,12, and 13th March, 1936. He started for North Calcutta tour with the team of Chitrangada and staged the dance drama in the month  of March on 17th at Patna, 19th at Allahabad, Lahore on 22nd and 23rd March and came to Delhi on 25th. Chitrangada was staged in Delhi on 26th and 27th March,1936.
Rabindranath Tagore took the story of Chitrāngadā and, in 1892, turned it into a dance drama,[1] very much like a modern day musical with the story put to music and with the characters acting out the parts in dance.[1] Tagore's story differs a bit from the story of Chitrāngadā in the Mahābhārata. He expands on the character and gives her new life.




In Tagore's story, Chitrāngadā is the only child of the King of Manipura. Being the heir to the throne, she dresses like a man and is the protector of the land. Her people look to her to keep them safe. One day, she meets Arjuna and, seeing him in action as he hunts in the forest, she falls in love. Arjuna is impressed by her fighting abilities but all along believes her to be a man. Chitrāngadā believes he could never love her the way she is. She receives a boon from Kamadeva, Hindu god of love, and transforms herself into a beautiful feminine woman. When she meets Arjuna again, he can't help but fall in love with her. Though she believes that she has everything she wants in life, deep down she wishes that he could love her for her true self. When marauders come into her kingdom to take over the villages, Arjuna learns from the people of the kingdom that their princess is the greatest warrior around and they wonder why she isn't there to help protect them now. Arjuna is impressed by the story of this woman who seems to be his equal when it comes to fighting and longs to meet her. Chitrāngadā appears and saves her kingdom before revealing her true self to Arjuna. No longer in love with her just for her beauty, Arjuna marries Chitrāngadā. They have a son named Babruvahana

In the mean time, M.K.Gandhi being anxious for  Rabindranath Tagore's health, asked him the amount of deficit in the budget of Viswabharati . He learnt that the deficit was about Rs. 60,000/-. He brought the amount by cheque from Mr Birla and gave it to Rabindranath. He insisted him to avoid so much trouble for collecting money and to go back to Santiniketan. Chitrangada was also staged in Mirat on 29th March.Delhi Radio broadcasted a recitation of Rabidranath  on 30th March. After travelling in north Calcutta, he returned to Santiniketan.

N.E.F. and Rabindranath Tagore in 1936

In the year 1936 in the month of February, a Education Week was observed in Calcutta and a session of New Education Fellowship was  held in tbe senate hall of Calcutta University On this occasion meetings on different subjects educations were held. Rabindranath delivered a lecture on this occasion. 

Beatrice Ensor

Beatrice Ensor (1885–1974) was an English theosophical educationist, pedagogue, co-founder of the New Education Fellowship (later World Education Fellowship) and editor of the journal Education for the New Era .

The New (World) Education Fellowship

Beatrice Ensor and Professor Carl Jung - Montreux 1923 - Second International Conference of the N.E.F.

In 1921, together with Iwan Hawliczek, she organised a conference in Calais on the ‘Creative Self-Expression of the Child’, with attendance of over 100. Although this was inspired by theosophists anxious to prevent another world war, what emerged was the New (later World) Education Fellowship , an entirely non-political and non-sectarian forum for new ideas in education. It was not to advocate any particular method but to ‘seek to find the thread of truth in all methods’. It still has active sections in some 20 countries. Beatrice Ensor, together with the editors of the other two journals, formed the initial organising committee of the N.E.F., which held international conferences at two yearly intervals, presided over by distinguished educationists and pedagogues.
The second conference of 1923 was held in Montreux, Switzerland and there she met Professor Carl Jung whom she invited to speak at a meeting in London (where she introduced him to H G Wells), Emile Jacques-Dalcroze, Professor Franz Cizek and Alfred Adler.
In 1929 the conference was held in Kronborg Castle, Helsingör, Denmark and amongst the delegates and speakers were Maria Montessori, Rabindranath Tagore, Jean Piaget, Kurt Lewin, Adolphe Ferrière fr:Adolphe Ferrière, Ovide Decroly, Helen Parkhurst, Pierre Bovet fr:Pierre Bovet, A S Neill, Elisabeth Rotten, Franz Cizek, Dr Harold Rugg, Professor T P Nunn, and Paul Geheeb de:Paul Geheeb.
Other conferences were held at Locarno (1927), Cheltenham and Heidelberg (1925),
She was a member of the Education Advisory Committee of the Labour Party for a short while but her utopian views clashed with those of R. H. Tawney and resigned her position.

 The N.E.F. and Unesco

Just as theosophy had a profound influence on the N.E.F. so the N.E.F. had a profound influence on the creation of UNESCO[10]. It was described as "the midwife at the birth of UNESCO" (Kobayashi) and has been an NGO of UNESCO since 1966 (Hiroshi Iwama). It changed its name to W.E.F.
New education Fellowship was an organisation established in Europe. The poet happened to remain present in a session in 1930 when he went to Europe and a branch of the said organisation was formed in Santiniketan. Rabindranath Tagore held the chair of the President and Sri Dhirendramohan Sen and Sri Anil Kumar Chanda became the Jt. Secretary. In the session Rbindranath delivered two lectures on Education.

Rabindanath again in Chandannagar - 1935

Rabindranath came to Calcutta on 10th May,1935 after attending his 75th birth day. Bangiya Sahitya Parishad offered him a grand ovation for completing 74 years of age.
He started by boat on the ganges accompanied by Anil  Chanda and Sudhakanta Roychoudhury and cdame to the place of landing the boat. His pen was always constructing poems.He could see the house where he once came accompanying Jyoti-dada. He could remember the interaction with his Bauthan in his youth.
He came back to Santiniketan from Vhandannagar on 4th July 1935. Having reached Santiniktan he heard the sad news of the death of Dinendranath Thakur, the store keeper of the lyrics of Rabindranath and one of the best beloved person.