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On an Idiosyncratic Activist Rabindranath Thakur

On an Idiosyncratic Activist Rabindranath Thakur

Ariful Islam Laskar

Rabindranath is a well-known poet due to his winning the Nobel prize for Gitanjali in 1913 and his contribution to poetry. According to Nobel Committee, he bagged it because of 'his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse' then translated in English in his own words. However, Thakur believed that he would be alive and remembered through his songs if not for other works. Nonetheless, in this write-up, I will focus on some remarkably conspicuous revolutionary reform works of 'Rabi' Thakur that make him an exceptional human being apart from arguably being the finest creative writer of Bangla Literature.
'Rabi' was born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta in a very aristocratic and cultural family. From a very young age, he did not like schools and thus tutored in his home by many scholars who shaped his young mind permanently. He did not find any charm in schools and found them empty and lifeless. Being almost confined in the house, finally, Rabi enjoyed his first major tour with his father Debendranath Thakur- philosopher and religious reformer- started from Calcutta via Shantiniketan to end up in the Himalayas. It is the first time he got an actual glimpse of the beauty and mystery of the countryside and experienced the wonder of freedom.

I.
The young 'Rabi' did not get his school degree and then went to study in London without availing any degree yet again. Coming back home, his romantic ventures of writing surged up and quickly established him as a writer. The cultural environment of his house, his England tour, his unbounded creative zeal, and an untamed life stimulated him to be a great writer, philosopher, and then a great reformer.

The remarkable step that Rabi Thakur took is to establish Shantiniketan school that, later on, turned into Visva-Bharati University. Having bitter experience in early childhood and traveled the whole world, Tagore built a school that emphasized the concept of 'freedom and creativity' through 'free communication and communion with nature and common people.' Rabi Thakur believed that education is not for luxury; instead for the 'development of the senses' to understand the abstract and act pragmatically.

In Shantinekatan, he propounded the idea of living together: a life repleted with sharing, caring, and maintaining. It is like the life of the Ashram where everybody will conform to the same rules and regulations and enjoy the same ordinary life together by ensuring an egalitarian society. Music, art, craft, observation, and understanding of nature and village life became the foremost priority in the syllabus. And, the syllabus was not a systemic treatise, rather a flexible one as the school or the university did not offer any degrees as long as poet was alive.

He invested most of his Nobel prize money in this educational venture. He made it a cosmopolitan university. Students and teachers from the other part of the world frequently used to visit, study, and contribute to this distinct academia. 'Shanti' means peace, and 'Niketan' denotes garden. So, to justify the name and to establish his principle, he gave all his endeavor to make it a 'peaceful garden of education' where all can enjoy their staying and learning regardless of caste and creed.

Teachers (gurus), students could exchange words on any topic; they are bounded only by their faith, conscience, and conviction. 'Your own will' is commitment, and 'freedom with discipline' is a life course that has been practiced in Shantiniketan for so long, at least, until the demise of the great Tagore as he was known to all the western audiences. Tagore strongly believed that love and passion for teaching and learning is the core: 'it is better to be silent than to teach something you do not love.'

Tagore worked hard to make Shantiniketana uniquely Eastern one albeit having the cosmopolitan flavor. He did not merely copy any idea from the West; instead, he incorporated and assimilated the good things that he observed in his life expeditions. He opted holistic education that integrates all. That is the beauty and creativity of Tagore- a philosopher, thinker, and educationist.
II.
The village people were the inspiration for the poet Rabindranath Tagore. He lived a significant portion of his mature life in Shelaidah, Sajadpur, and Patisar as a poet and Zamindar. Along with penning down poems, he continued to become a 'Babu Mahashay' or 'Babu Shab' to the villagers.
The beauty of nature attracted his poetic mind, and the beauty and thrill of Padma enchanted his creative soul; yet, he became exasperated and dejected seeing the miserable and despairing lives of the village people.

He witnessed the shabby and fragile houses, the untidy and unhygienic life, the starvation and deaths of the poor villagers from proximity. People were frustrated, annoyed, and exhausted by the class of 'Zamindary' system then. Subsequently,people like Kangal Harinath of Kumarkhali became very critical of it. Debendranath Tagore, being concerned about this criticism, sent his son Rabi to resolve the gravesituation. And poet Rabindranath handled it dexterously and helped people come out from the circle of poverty and from the clasp of malicious money lenders who were sucking the hard-earned money of the poor like leeches.

Unlike his father, he delved his life to make poor people self-reliant and get them out of poverty. Though he did not have any prior agricultural expertise, he experimented with various methods with the poor tenants. He used to read books on agriculture to find new and innovative farming ways to get more crops. In Patisar, near kaligram, he established kaligram Krishi Bank in 1905 to introduce the benefit of cooperative banking and life. He firmly believed that a cooperative system could bring the poor people together and help them to form an integrated society to fight against the capitalist investor. This bank was sustained for 20 years, run largely by the Nobel prize money of Rabindranath.

He established few small schools, few small home enterprises like spinning and weaving to create an alternative income route. He introduced tractors, husking machines and emphasized the importance of good seeds and fertilizers. He trained people to use tractors and husking machines. He curbed unemployment to some extent and helped these poor people live a somewhat dignified life. 'Rabi Babu' strongly believed that farmers could save the country, not the zamindars or the blunt city people.
This also reflects his 'ideals of educations' where creativity gets the highest priority. In Shantinektan, he asked the students and teachers to practice the life of a thinker and doer to connect life with villages to make fruitful changes. Accordingly, he proved his teachings, philosophies, and ideals through his practical participation in works like an anthropologist or a farmer.
III.
Though a mystic and poet-philosopher, Rabindranath Thakur was a revolutionary. He heavily protested the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 by the soldiers of British brigadier-general Dyer. For this, Tagore rejected the Knighthood awarded by the then colonialist British Crown. Though he did not discard the British education totally, he was critical of the colonialist approach of the then British Raj in India. He also mobilized the independence movement of India.

Being incensed and saddened by the partition of Bengal in 1905, Tagore consequently introduced the 'Bond of Rakhi' to maintain the brotherhood and unity of the people. During this time and some years later in 1911 (reunification of Bengal), he penned down the national anthems of Bangladesh and India respectively, a rare achievement for any person.
Tagore was always in favor of love and tolerance. He was totally against war. He opposed the Nazis' fascism in Germany and raised his voice against the acts of Mussolini. He profoundly believed in universal unity and peace. But he was not against individualism at all as he harbored and nurtured a thoroughgoing cosmopolitan mind.

Finally, Tagore was in a true sense a renaissance person: a person who believes in reform and change. He always will be remembered for his unpretentious and eco-friendly education system, his village Cooperatives and Krishi bank, and his anti-fascist and anti-colonialist revolutionary but peaceful stances. He was for harmony, was against all sorts of discrimination, and always believed in 'Cooperation of good minds.'
Creative writer and thinker Rabi Thakur immensely and enormously helped form and shape the identity of Bengali culture and literature. Yet, his practical involvement as a social reformer paved the way for unique learnings, innovations, and beneficial changes. Thus,Rabindranath is simply and uniquely indispensable in our Bengali life.

Writer is a columnist and teaches English Literature
Email: y2k.arif@gmail.com

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