Not really. Tagore was more a humanist rather than a nationalist in a general sense. He saw nationalism with sole stress on a mere political freedom as menace with scant or no notice for the perennial socio-religious prejudices Indian societies were suffering from. Though born and brought up in a rich, elite mercantile family of Bengal, his philosophy of life was shaped by some of the most liberal thinkers of that time. He off course was conscious of his Hindu identity but never let it become as a moral barrier in his intellectual thoughtfulness.
Rabindranath Tagore: The poet of two countries
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12:00 AM, May 08, 2016 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:43 AM, May 08, 2016
The light of education is yet to shine at Rabindra University
The designated site for the Rabindra University in Rautara area has seen almost no development work. The foundation stone, inset, for Rabindra University, which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid a year ago, is now left leaning on a wall at the Shahzadpur UNO office in Sirajganj. Photo: Star
When Rabindranath Tagore took his first steps in bringing his education philosophies to life he started small. In 1901, with no more than five enrolled students, he began teaching in the shade of trees in rural Santiniketan. In keeping with his holistic approach he favoured the natural environment as classroom and pupils would spend break time climbing the trees under which they studied. For Tagore, simplicity was a cardinal principle.
More than a century later in Shahzadpur of Sirajganj, where Tagore spent part of his youth looking after his family's landholdings, the establishment of long-awaited Rabrindra University has been anything but simple.
On Tagore's 154th birth anniversary, on 8 March 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dedicated the foundation stone for the university. A year later, and the stone is yet to be placed, being stored unceremoniously at an upazila government office.
“To establish a fully-fledged university takes a long time,” says Rajshahi University's former vice-chancellor Dr. Abdul Khaleque who is convenor of the Rabindra University implementation committee. “To complete all necessary tasks quickly is quite impossible.”
“Without an act of parliament no university can run,” says Md Fardous Zaman, an additional director of the University Grants Commission.
He notes that the education minister Nurul Islam Nahid introduced the Rabindra University Bangladesh Bill 2016 to parliament on 8 February. It was subsequently sent to the parliamentary standing committee to prepare a report, which on 26 April recommended the bill's approval. It is hoped the bill may pass in the next session.
“If parliament passes the bill,” says Fardous, “then a vice-chancellor can be appointed.” A proposal for Tk 156 crore in university funding, meanwhile, has been submitted to the executive committee of the National Economic Council.
For a campus, around 100 acres at Rautara in Shahzadpur has been selected, according to local upazila nirbahi officer Shamim Ahmed. “Tagore's family donated 1200 acres to their poor subjects in Shahzadpur to be used for cattle grazing,” he explains, “The area is not in the possession of the land ministry but 100 acres of that land has been earmarked.”
According to Ahmed, the site selection proposal was submitted to the education ministry last week. “The land can be handed over to the university following ministry approval,” he says. “No further action can be taken without the passing of the university's act of parliament.”
“People in this region have waited a long time for the Rabindra University to open,” says renowned Tagore researcher Nasim Uddin Malitha. “It would be ideal if academic activities could begin in the 2016 – 2017 session; only dedicating a foundation stone is not progress.”
Dr Khaleque similarly hopes academic activities can commence with admissions accepted for the next academic year. He suggests Shahzadpur's government college and Kacharibari, the Tagore estate which is now a museum, could be used as a temporary campus.
It would seem that in Tagore's day spreading the light of education was a less bureaucratic endeavour. In 1921 the Nobel laureate invested his prize winnings to establish the college that would become the world renowned Visva-Bharati University.
“The highest education,” Tagore wrote, “is that which does not merely give us information, but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”
Tagore believed in the power of education to bring liberation to humankind. He introduced new ideas including that education should consist of training in all the senses, not only the mind; that learning through activity is more meaningful than book-based study; that culture is far broader than academic knowledge. At Santiniketan he hoped to create an institution that would live up to the motto he chose: “Where the whole world meets in a single nest.”
“I hope the university will be a general one run like Visva-Bharati,” says Dr. Khaleque. With a unique Bengali legacy to draw upon, Rabindra University certainly has the potential to bring new life in Bangladesh, to Tagore's education ideals.
But for now, the powers at be might do as well to recall the insightful Tagore quote, “You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/the-light-education-yet-shine-rabindra-university-1220326
The light of education is yet to shine at Rabindra University
The designated site for the Rabindra University in Rautara area has seen almost no development work. The foundation stone, inset, for Rabindra University, which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid a year ago, is now left leaning on a wall at the Shahzadpur UNO office in Sirajganj. Photo: Star
When Rabindranath Tagore took his first steps in bringing his education philosophies to life he started small. In 1901, with no more than five enrolled students, he began teaching in the shade of trees in rural Santiniketan. In keeping with his holistic approach he favoured the natural environment as classroom and pupils would spend break time climbing the trees under which they studied. For Tagore, simplicity was a cardinal principle.
More than a century later in Shahzadpur of Sirajganj, where Tagore spent part of his youth looking after his family's landholdings, the establishment of long-awaited Rabrindra University has been anything but simple.
On Tagore's 154th birth anniversary, on 8 March 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dedicated the foundation stone for the university. A year later, and the stone is yet to be placed, being stored unceremoniously at an upazila government office.
“To establish a fully-fledged university takes a long time,” says Rajshahi University's former vice-chancellor Dr. Abdul Khaleque who is convenor of the Rabindra University implementation committee. “To complete all necessary tasks quickly is quite impossible.”
“Without an act of parliament no university can run,” says Md Fardous Zaman, an additional director of the University Grants Commission.
He notes that the education minister Nurul Islam Nahid introduced the Rabindra University Bangladesh Bill 2016 to parliament on 8 February. It was subsequently sent to the parliamentary standing committee to prepare a report, which on 26 April recommended the bill's approval. It is hoped the bill may pass in the next session.
“If parliament passes the bill,” says Fardous, “then a vice-chancellor can be appointed.” A proposal for Tk 156 crore in university funding, meanwhile, has been submitted to the executive committee of the National Economic Council.
For a campus, around 100 acres at Rautara in Shahzadpur has been selected, according to local upazila nirbahi officer Shamim Ahmed. “Tagore's family donated 1200 acres to their poor subjects in Shahzadpur to be used for cattle grazing,” he explains, “The area is not in the possession of the land ministry but 100 acres of that land has been earmarked.”
According to Ahmed, the site selection proposal was submitted to the education ministry last week. “The land can be handed over to the university following ministry approval,” he says. “No further action can be taken without the passing of the university's act of parliament.”
“People in this region have waited a long time for the Rabindra University to open,” says renowned Tagore researcher Nasim Uddin Malitha. “It would be ideal if academic activities could begin in the 2016 – 2017 session; only dedicating a foundation stone is not progress.”
Dr Khaleque similarly hopes academic activities can commence with admissions accepted for the next academic year. He suggests Shahzadpur's government college and Kacharibari, the Tagore estate which is now a museum, could be used as a temporary campus.
It would seem that in Tagore's day spreading the light of education was a less bureaucratic endeavour. In 1921 the Nobel laureate invested his prize winnings to establish the college that would become the world renowned Visva-Bharati University.
“The highest education,” Tagore wrote, “is that which does not merely give us information, but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”
Tagore believed in the power of education to bring liberation to humankind. He introduced new ideas including that education should consist of training in all the senses, not only the mind; that learning through activity is more meaningful than book-based study; that culture is far broader than academic knowledge. At Santiniketan he hoped to create an institution that would live up to the motto he chose: “Where the whole world meets in a single nest.”
“I hope the university will be a general one run like Visva-Bharati,” says Dr. Khaleque. With a unique Bengali legacy to draw upon, Rabindra University certainly has the potential to bring new life in Bangladesh, to Tagore's education ideals.
But for now, the powers at be might do as well to recall the insightful Tagore quote, “You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/the-light-education-yet-shine-rabindra-university-1220326
Grevion
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Gurudev's legacy is not for ours to grab. He was a poet of a greater India and an undivided Bengal of that time. The significance of his poetry to the Bengali culture is the reason he is a celebrated poet in both India and Bangladesh.
The fact that you use People's Republic in the official name of your country and are quite proud of it is a assured sign of peace and prosperity, friendship and greater corporation between the two south Asian countries .We have already SAARC as an union. Our people have developed separate nationalism and identity as Bangladeshi and very proud of it. Even though we are not religious in majority but we like to identify ourselves as Muslims till death. India is Hindu majority. So many Bangladeshis don't feel affinity for India for religious reason only. Other reasons are bullsh*ts. Many common people don't even know that Bangladesh was a part of Eastern Bengal & Assam province of British India. They just know we fought against Pakistan to liberate our country. History before 1947 is not discussed in books and media.
Bangladesh will never agree to be part of any greater India union. People will say Awami League has 'sold' the country to India. People will get provoked. There will be civil war if attempts are taken. Even hardcore pro- India party Awami League will oppose it. Its not possible but geographically we are so close that we can't move forward without cooperation with India. Lets be friends and partners in development only.
Homo Sapiens
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Whether he was communal minded or not is debatable. But what can't be denied is his tremendous achievement in Bangla literature.Without him we can't imagine Bengali culture.
Although he died before partition in Kolkata,his Zamindari was in Shileidah,Kushtia district in BD.Here he spent a lot of times and composed most of his notable work.So he can't be separated from BD even if we try.
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Homo Sapiens
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@Nilgiri This is one of my favourite Rabindra sangeet.One of the most popular patriotic song.Written during Partition of Bengal in 1905.Aji Bangladesher hridoy hote......
English translation of the song
When did you come out of the heart of Bangladesh,
O, Mother dear, with such inexplicable splendor!
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
Your right hand holds the blazing sword, the left one takes away fear,
Smile of affection on the eyes, the third eye glaring.
O Mother dear, how uniquely you reveal yourself!
The cloud of your untied hair conceals thunders
Ends of your sunlight coloured robes flutter in the horizon!
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
When impassionately did not look up seemed
Poor mother stayed back home , desolate, destitute.
Your torn clothes vanish now, meager smile disappear.
Beams of light scatter from your feet into entire sky
O Mother, your appearance astounds me.
You flood the world with the flow of happiness on the distressed nights
O the mindblower, your word of fearlessness drum the heart
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
Translated by Anjan Ganguly
When did you come out of the heart of Bangladesh,
O, Mother dear, with such inexplicable splendor!
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
Your right hand holds the blazing sword, the left one takes away fear,
Smile of affection on the eyes, the third eye glaring.
O Mother dear, how uniquely you reveal yourself!
The cloud of your untied hair conceals thunders
Ends of your sunlight coloured robes flutter in the horizon!
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
When impassionately did not look up seemed
Poor mother stayed back home , desolate, destitute.
Your torn clothes vanish now, meager smile disappear.
Beams of light scatter from your feet into entire sky
O Mother, your appearance astounds me.
You flood the world with the flow of happiness on the distressed nights
O the mindblower, your word of fearlessness drum the heart
It’s impossible to take away eyes from you!
The doors of your golden temple have unlocked.
Translated by Anjan Ganguly
Anandamath was written by Bankim, not Tagore.
Homo Sapiens
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My bad, you are right.I could not remember the book written by Rabindranath.
bongbang
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By my summarisation you may not get the proper gist of the paper, so you should read through. I can paste some important para though.
In a lecture at Oxford in 1930, Tagore acknowledged that he did not come from a typical Hindu family and that his sensibility was created by ―a confluence of three cultures, Hindu, Mohammedan and British‖ (Rabindranath Tagore 17). In fact, his family‘s contact with Muslims goes back a long way. There is an interesting anecdote of how two of Tagore‘s ancestors in the twelfth or thirteenth century, Kamadev and Jayadev, were ―tainted by contact with Muslims‖ (Kripalani 15-16) and ―converted to Islam‖ (Rabindranath Tagore 17-18). The rest of the family remained Hindu, but because of this incident, in which the two brothers were tricked into smelling and eating beef, which is a taboo in Hindu culture, the family lost their caste and were ostracized by their fellow Brahmins. They were not only deemed inferior, but also precluded from having matrimonial ties within the caste. Derogatively, they were dubbed ―Pirali or Pirili Brahmins‖ (Kripalani 16), referring to Pir Ali Khan, a born Hindu Brahmin who had converted to Islam and later tricked Tagore‘s ancestors into consuming beef and subsequently converting to Islam.
Tagore‘s grandfather, Prince Dwarkanath, was a founder of a Hindu religious movement, Brahma Sabha, which later came to be known as Brahmo Samaj. The objective of this movement was to rid Hinduism of its prevailing rituals or inauthentic traditions,‖ such as the practice of sati (suttee) or widow-burning, child marriage, rigidity of the caste system, including the custom of untouchability, and idolatry. Tagore saw this movement as a kind of ―inner Hinduism‖(Selected Letters 62), which did not reject the basic teachings of the religion but accommodated modern knowledge in a spiritual synthesis, so that Hindus would come out of the bastion of medieval darkness and embrace contemporary reality in a feeling of righteousness and love. It is because of this reformist inheritance from his ancestors that we see Tagore again and again criticising many of the dogmatic practices within the Hindu culture.
Of course, readers should not misunderstand Tagore in this context. Just because his examples are drawn from Hindu society, it does not mean that his criticism is directed against the orthodoxy and ignorance in his own religious community only. By extension and allusion, he is condemning orthodoxy in all forms, in all religious communities. He could have very well drawn similar examples from among the Muslim, Christian or Buddhist faiths, but he chose not to because of the possibility of misunderstanding. The Hindu-Muslim relationship throughout his adult life was in an explosive state,
therefore, criticising Muslims even on obvious issues would have fed and fuelled the Muslim fideists. Besides, Tagore chose to write about his own culture because as an insider of the Hindu community he certainly had a better understanding of Hindu culture than the cultures of other religions. Moreover, his decision not to attack Muslim orthodoxy in the way he did to his own religious community is an expression of Tagore‘s courtesy and respect for Muslims and their culture generally.
It is also perhaps for the above reasons that he chose not to have many Muslim characters in his writing. He knew that criticism of his Muslim characters, no matter how well intentioned, would have incited unnecessary anger among Muslim fanatics, and clouded his mission of creating a religious mosaic in his homeland. It is not that the Hindu fanatics did not accuse Tagore of ―disfiguring‖ their faith. They certainly did, which is reflected in the following statement of Nirad Chaudhuri: ―Tagore challenged all political, social, cultural, and religious superstitions, and was therefore regarded an apostate‖ (qtd. in
Rabindranath Tagore 149). However, being a part of the community, it was easier for the poet to sidestep or hedge such criticisms, which would be relatively more difficult if he had ventured into other cultures. However, there are two short stories in which Muslim characters are central. In ―Kabuliwala‖ and ―The Story of a Mussalmani,‖ Tagore has depicted the characters positively. This goes to show that Tagore was not deliberately disrespectful of Muslims.
The Story of a Mussalmani‖ is Tagore‘s final story, dictated about a month and a half before his death. In that sense the story and its message have extra significance. It is about a Hindu girl, Kamala, who is saved from abduction by brigands on her wedding night by a Muslim man, Habir Khan. This elderly Muslim gives her shelter and protection after Kamala‘s family refuses to take her back for fear of losing their caste. The girl continues to practice her religion in an isolated wing of Habir Khan‘s house undeterred and uninterrupted by anyone, such is the lenity and grace of this Muslim man. He never suggests that Kamala should convert to his religion. However, the girl subsequently falls in love with Habir Khan‘s second son, Karim, marries him, and chooses to espouse Islam. Later, when her cousin experiences the same fate of being attacked by bandits on her wedding night, it is Kamala as Meherjan (Muslim name) who comes to her rescue. She saves her and takes her back to her uncle‘s house, and thus pays her debt to her aunt who had brought her up after the death of her parents. This is a very moving story, indeed, in which Tagore has shown the ills of orthodoxy and the virtue of tolerance and unobstructed love by pitting a dogmatic Hindu Brahmin family against an elderly, prominent Muslim man who is altruistic, broad-minded and without any religious bias.
Tagore‘s biographers Dutta and Robinson suggest that ―Tagore had little intellectual contact with Islam and educated Muslims‖(Rabindranath Tagore 119). This is probably true; there is no evidence to indicate that he was familiar with the Islamic scripture in the way, for example, Gandhi was.
His contact with Muslim intellectuals of his time was also limited. Yet, he was familiar with the works of the fourteenth century mystic poet Kabir, a Muslim weaver, and translated many of his poems into English which were published by Macmillan in 1915. He was also familiar with the works of the Persian poets Hafiz and Sa‘adi, especially Hafiz who was his father‘s favorite. Debendranath Tagore, the poet‘s father, knew Persian and used to read Hafiz to the little boy which created a life-long admiration for the
Iranian Sufi poet in Tagore. During his visit to the Middle East in 1932 he spent a whole week in Shiraz to pay respects at the graves of the two celebrated poets, Sa‘adi and Hafiz. Tagore also had high admiration for his younger contemporary in Bengali literature and probably his strongest counterpart in the Muslim community of his time, Kazi Nazrul Islam, to whom he dedicated his musical play Bosonto and who in return wrote poems such as ―Tirtho Pathik‖ and ―Rabi-Hara‖ to express his reverence for Tagore. Tagore also started admitting Muslim students to his institution, Shantiniketan, in 1921, the year it was upgraded to a university and renamed to Visva-bharati. In 1927 he introduced a chair of Islamic Studies at the institution with a donation of one lakh rupees (Indian currency) from the Nizam of Hyderabad, and in 1932 he introduced Persian Studies with the support of the Persian Government. In 1935 he wrote a Foreword to a book by Maulvi Abdul Karim, A Simple Guide to Islam’s Contribution to Science and Civilisation, in which he took the privilege of explaining why he chose to introduce a department of Islamic Culture in his institution. Tagore explained:
One of the most potent sources of Hindu-Moslem conflict is our scant knowledge of each other. We live side by side and yet very often our worlds are entirely different. Such mental aloofness has done immense mischief in the past and forebodes an evil future. It is only through a sympathetic understanding of each other‘s culture and social customs and conventions that we can create an atmosphere of peace and goodwill. With this end in view I started a department of Islamic Culture in Visva Bharati a few years ago with the generous financial support of His Exalted Highness, the Nizam. I am glad to say the experiment has been successful.
Moreover, Tagore wrote the following passage of tribute to Islam and its Prophet at the occasion of ―Siratun Nabi,‖ on 26 November 1933:
Islam is one of the great few religions of the world and the responsibility is immense upon its followers who must, in their lives, bear testimony to the greatness of their faith. Our one hope of mutual reconciliation between the communities inhabiting India, of bringing about a truly civilized attitude of mind towards each other in this unfortunate country depends not merely on the realization of an intelligent national self-interest, but on the eternal source of inspiration that comes from the immortal lines of these messengers of truth who have been the beloved of God and lovers of men. I take the advantage of this auspicious occasion today [of Siratun Nabi] when I may join my Muslim brothers in offering my homage of adoration to the grand prophet of Islam and invoke his blessings for India which is in dire need of succour and solace. (―Open Letters, Speeches, Tributes‖ 802)
Tagore‘s closest contact with the Muslim culture of course came from his interaction with tenants of his family estates in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), who were mostly Muslims. He would often go there and spend weeks with these villagers, away from his family in Calcutta (Kolkata), which obviously enabled him to develop a sympathetic understanding of their lifestyle and customs. As Tapobrato Ghosh points out, even his retainer in the family estate at Shelidah, Abdul Majhi, was a Muslim.
Such communion with his Muslim tenants subsequently developed a love in him for them: ―I love them from my heart, because they deserve it;‖ he proclaims in a letter in 1931 (Selected Letters 405). As an expression of this love, he introduced various social reforms on his estates to improve the life of the tenants. During the 1890s he set up a complete judiciary on the estates so that his tenants would get justice without having to resort to the government courts which were located far away from their remote villages and were, therefore, excessively time consuming. Explaining Tagore‘s judiciary system, Dutta and Robinson write: ―Cases were taken to the headman of the villages, on appeal to a court of five headmen appointed from the entire estate, and, as the final court of appeal, to Rabindranath himself‖ (120). Tagore also introduced various industries and a bank on these estates to help out the tenants.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...h_Tagore's_Literary_Representation_of_Muslims
In a lecture at Oxford in 1930, Tagore acknowledged that he did not come from a typical Hindu family and that his sensibility was created by ―a confluence of three cultures, Hindu, Mohammedan and British‖ (Rabindranath Tagore 17). In fact, his family‘s contact with Muslims goes back a long way. There is an interesting anecdote of how two of Tagore‘s ancestors in the twelfth or thirteenth century, Kamadev and Jayadev, were ―tainted by contact with Muslims‖ (Kripalani 15-16) and ―converted to Islam‖ (Rabindranath Tagore 17-18). The rest of the family remained Hindu, but because of this incident, in which the two brothers were tricked into smelling and eating beef, which is a taboo in Hindu culture, the family lost their caste and were ostracized by their fellow Brahmins. They were not only deemed inferior, but also precluded from having matrimonial ties within the caste. Derogatively, they were dubbed ―Pirali or Pirili Brahmins‖ (Kripalani 16), referring to Pir Ali Khan, a born Hindu Brahmin who had converted to Islam and later tricked Tagore‘s ancestors into consuming beef and subsequently converting to Islam.
Tagore‘s grandfather, Prince Dwarkanath, was a founder of a Hindu religious movement, Brahma Sabha, which later came to be known as Brahmo Samaj. The objective of this movement was to rid Hinduism of its prevailing rituals or inauthentic traditions,‖ such as the practice of sati (suttee) or widow-burning, child marriage, rigidity of the caste system, including the custom of untouchability, and idolatry. Tagore saw this movement as a kind of ―inner Hinduism‖(Selected Letters 62), which did not reject the basic teachings of the religion but accommodated modern knowledge in a spiritual synthesis, so that Hindus would come out of the bastion of medieval darkness and embrace contemporary reality in a feeling of righteousness and love. It is because of this reformist inheritance from his ancestors that we see Tagore again and again criticising many of the dogmatic practices within the Hindu culture.
Of course, readers should not misunderstand Tagore in this context. Just because his examples are drawn from Hindu society, it does not mean that his criticism is directed against the orthodoxy and ignorance in his own religious community only. By extension and allusion, he is condemning orthodoxy in all forms, in all religious communities. He could have very well drawn similar examples from among the Muslim, Christian or Buddhist faiths, but he chose not to because of the possibility of misunderstanding. The Hindu-Muslim relationship throughout his adult life was in an explosive state,
therefore, criticising Muslims even on obvious issues would have fed and fuelled the Muslim fideists. Besides, Tagore chose to write about his own culture because as an insider of the Hindu community he certainly had a better understanding of Hindu culture than the cultures of other religions. Moreover, his decision not to attack Muslim orthodoxy in the way he did to his own religious community is an expression of Tagore‘s courtesy and respect for Muslims and their culture generally.
It is also perhaps for the above reasons that he chose not to have many Muslim characters in his writing. He knew that criticism of his Muslim characters, no matter how well intentioned, would have incited unnecessary anger among Muslim fanatics, and clouded his mission of creating a religious mosaic in his homeland. It is not that the Hindu fanatics did not accuse Tagore of ―disfiguring‖ their faith. They certainly did, which is reflected in the following statement of Nirad Chaudhuri: ―Tagore challenged all political, social, cultural, and religious superstitions, and was therefore regarded an apostate‖ (qtd. in
Rabindranath Tagore 149). However, being a part of the community, it was easier for the poet to sidestep or hedge such criticisms, which would be relatively more difficult if he had ventured into other cultures. However, there are two short stories in which Muslim characters are central. In ―Kabuliwala‖ and ―The Story of a Mussalmani,‖ Tagore has depicted the characters positively. This goes to show that Tagore was not deliberately disrespectful of Muslims.
The Story of a Mussalmani‖ is Tagore‘s final story, dictated about a month and a half before his death. In that sense the story and its message have extra significance. It is about a Hindu girl, Kamala, who is saved from abduction by brigands on her wedding night by a Muslim man, Habir Khan. This elderly Muslim gives her shelter and protection after Kamala‘s family refuses to take her back for fear of losing their caste. The girl continues to practice her religion in an isolated wing of Habir Khan‘s house undeterred and uninterrupted by anyone, such is the lenity and grace of this Muslim man. He never suggests that Kamala should convert to his religion. However, the girl subsequently falls in love with Habir Khan‘s second son, Karim, marries him, and chooses to espouse Islam. Later, when her cousin experiences the same fate of being attacked by bandits on her wedding night, it is Kamala as Meherjan (Muslim name) who comes to her rescue. She saves her and takes her back to her uncle‘s house, and thus pays her debt to her aunt who had brought her up after the death of her parents. This is a very moving story, indeed, in which Tagore has shown the ills of orthodoxy and the virtue of tolerance and unobstructed love by pitting a dogmatic Hindu Brahmin family against an elderly, prominent Muslim man who is altruistic, broad-minded and without any religious bias.
Tagore‘s biographers Dutta and Robinson suggest that ―Tagore had little intellectual contact with Islam and educated Muslims‖(Rabindranath Tagore 119). This is probably true; there is no evidence to indicate that he was familiar with the Islamic scripture in the way, for example, Gandhi was.
His contact with Muslim intellectuals of his time was also limited. Yet, he was familiar with the works of the fourteenth century mystic poet Kabir, a Muslim weaver, and translated many of his poems into English which were published by Macmillan in 1915. He was also familiar with the works of the Persian poets Hafiz and Sa‘adi, especially Hafiz who was his father‘s favorite. Debendranath Tagore, the poet‘s father, knew Persian and used to read Hafiz to the little boy which created a life-long admiration for the
Iranian Sufi poet in Tagore. During his visit to the Middle East in 1932 he spent a whole week in Shiraz to pay respects at the graves of the two celebrated poets, Sa‘adi and Hafiz. Tagore also had high admiration for his younger contemporary in Bengali literature and probably his strongest counterpart in the Muslim community of his time, Kazi Nazrul Islam, to whom he dedicated his musical play Bosonto and who in return wrote poems such as ―Tirtho Pathik‖ and ―Rabi-Hara‖ to express his reverence for Tagore. Tagore also started admitting Muslim students to his institution, Shantiniketan, in 1921, the year it was upgraded to a university and renamed to Visva-bharati. In 1927 he introduced a chair of Islamic Studies at the institution with a donation of one lakh rupees (Indian currency) from the Nizam of Hyderabad, and in 1932 he introduced Persian Studies with the support of the Persian Government. In 1935 he wrote a Foreword to a book by Maulvi Abdul Karim, A Simple Guide to Islam’s Contribution to Science and Civilisation, in which he took the privilege of explaining why he chose to introduce a department of Islamic Culture in his institution. Tagore explained:
One of the most potent sources of Hindu-Moslem conflict is our scant knowledge of each other. We live side by side and yet very often our worlds are entirely different. Such mental aloofness has done immense mischief in the past and forebodes an evil future. It is only through a sympathetic understanding of each other‘s culture and social customs and conventions that we can create an atmosphere of peace and goodwill. With this end in view I started a department of Islamic Culture in Visva Bharati a few years ago with the generous financial support of His Exalted Highness, the Nizam. I am glad to say the experiment has been successful.
Moreover, Tagore wrote the following passage of tribute to Islam and its Prophet at the occasion of ―Siratun Nabi,‖ on 26 November 1933:
Islam is one of the great few religions of the world and the responsibility is immense upon its followers who must, in their lives, bear testimony to the greatness of their faith. Our one hope of mutual reconciliation between the communities inhabiting India, of bringing about a truly civilized attitude of mind towards each other in this unfortunate country depends not merely on the realization of an intelligent national self-interest, but on the eternal source of inspiration that comes from the immortal lines of these messengers of truth who have been the beloved of God and lovers of men. I take the advantage of this auspicious occasion today [of Siratun Nabi] when I may join my Muslim brothers in offering my homage of adoration to the grand prophet of Islam and invoke his blessings for India which is in dire need of succour and solace. (―Open Letters, Speeches, Tributes‖ 802)
Tagore‘s closest contact with the Muslim culture of course came from his interaction with tenants of his family estates in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), who were mostly Muslims. He would often go there and spend weeks with these villagers, away from his family in Calcutta (Kolkata), which obviously enabled him to develop a sympathetic understanding of their lifestyle and customs. As Tapobrato Ghosh points out, even his retainer in the family estate at Shelidah, Abdul Majhi, was a Muslim.
Such communion with his Muslim tenants subsequently developed a love in him for them: ―I love them from my heart, because they deserve it;‖ he proclaims in a letter in 1931 (Selected Letters 405). As an expression of this love, he introduced various social reforms on his estates to improve the life of the tenants. During the 1890s he set up a complete judiciary on the estates so that his tenants would get justice without having to resort to the government courts which were located far away from their remote villages and were, therefore, excessively time consuming. Explaining Tagore‘s judiciary system, Dutta and Robinson write: ―Cases were taken to the headman of the villages, on appeal to a court of five headmen appointed from the entire estate, and, as the final court of appeal, to Rabindranath himself‖ (120). Tagore also introduced various industries and a bank on these estates to help out the tenants.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...h_Tagore's_Literary_Representation_of_Muslims
Nilgiri
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One of our great Tamil poets translated some of Tagore's works to Tamil (and he did this only for Tagore that I know of)
So I knew of the deep beauty of Tagore's works long time back even though I do not know Bengali. I am sure they are all of a different depth of feeling when read/heard in their original language of course....because translating always takes away some of the finer points whatever the languages concerned are.
nForce
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You have to understand that Rabindranath is portraying different characters in his short stories and novels, and not giving his personal opinion. Religious bigots and politicians have twisted the meanings to hell. The question you need to ask yourself is, are you one among the many who has been manipulated ? Or are you one among those who has actually read his works in depth and detail to form a personal opinion ?
Anubis
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Read what Doyalbaba said...he appreciates the literature..thats what matters....even if he disagrees with Tagore's personal views and hates him he is still our people to hate....have you ever heard of Wagner the german composer? His music is still celebrated while he was a virulent anti-semite and a major stimulant for Hitler's National Socialist movement...I am not saying Tagore was anywhere near as bad as Wagner but if Wagner can be hated and still be cherished for his work Tagore can be too.
Nilgiri
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OK I get both your points.
Its people more like this that make me wonder though:
Anubis
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He is not a Bengali...he doesn't even speak the language...his opinions are as valuable as my cat's..which,like al-zakir, is not a Bengali and whose opinion is of no concern to anyone.
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