Rabindrantath Tagore is essentially the foremost poet, writer of Bengali language and as such, we quite legitimately take pride in this extraordinarily talented man known to the entire world. A great part of our being is filled with Tagore’s spirit- hope and despair. He is the torch bearer in our journey through smooth path as well as quagmire. Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated all over the world with great enthusiasm and we on our part have endeavoured to have a good share of this celebration as Bangladeshis. How can we forget the fact that young Tagore had spent his golden time in our part of Bengal during the end of 19th century when he came to the then East Bengal to look after his ancestral land and property at Shilaidaha, Potishar and Shahjadpur.
He had then become the soul-mate of great mystic bard Lalon Shah and his disciple Gogon Harkora. Above all, he felt quite akin to the miseries of peasants and working people living in different hamlets surrounding the river Padma. A number of his well-known poems, short stories and essays were written here. Rabindrantath Tagore thus became more of our man than others which was time and again proved in our mother land, particularly during the occupational rule of Pakistan and more so during our war of liberation in 1971. His rejuvenating songs and poems acted as a deep source of inspiration for all of us.
Innumerable words had been dedicated all over the world to pay tribute to this literary genius. The writings on Tagore can never cease because he will always be relevant and contemporary. His paintings, which he had done for his personal solace also became public and during his lifetime, an exhibition of his paintings was organised in Paris. His thoughts relate to the people of his own country as well as the world populace. His rejection of social wrong-doing and injustice had been depicted in his number of poems, novels, essays and short stories but his rebellious expressions were not made public the way poet Nazrul Islam’s and poet Shukanta Bhattacharya’s revolutionary expressions were brought to circulation and acknowledgement. Let it be known to all that Tagore did not fall behind in his protest and rebellion against the ruthless and mindless actions under the British Colonial rule against the innocent people of the Indian Sub-continent.
I, as a theatre director had directed a play titled ‘Rudra Rabi O Jallianwala Bagh’ written by eminent writer Manzur-e-Mowla for Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Actors from 12 troupes of Dhaka participated in the production. Famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was also depicted in the play. The play is still on Shilpakala Academy’s repertoire.
Meanwhile British prime minister David Cameron was on tour during the first week of March in India and his photograph was appeared in all local and Indian dailies depicting Cameron tendered his unconditional apology to Indian Government for the mindless Killing of innocent people at Jallianwala Bagh of East Punjab. This was a very rewarding coincidence for all of us involved in the play ‘Rudra Rabi O Jallianwala Bagh’.
The super-objective of the play is as follows: The 1919 Amritsar massacre, known alternatively as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, was ordered by General REH Dyer. On Sunday April 13, 1919, which happened to be ‘Baishakhi’, one of Punjab’s largest religious festivals, fifty British Indian Army soldiers, commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, began shooting at an unarmed gathering of men, women, and children without warning. The casualty number quoted by the Indian National Congress was more than 1,500, with roughly 1,000 killed. Mahatma Gandhi also rose to the occasion with his Satyagraha movement (non-violent civil disobedience campaign).
The protest that broke out in the country is exemplified by the renunciation by Rabindranath Tagore of the British Knighthood. In a letter to the Governor General he wrote: “… The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in their incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part wish to stand shorn of all special distinctions by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradations not fit for human beings….” Being a Bengali, Rabindranath Tagore stood by the people of East Punjab during the time of their miserable tragedy as both Bengal and Punjab were part of the then India.
In Rabindranath Tagore we thus find the synthesis of world’s culture as well as humanity. He is our pride for all time to come.
(The writer is an actor-director)
-With New Age input
