Rabindranath’s first biography
Subrata Kumar Das
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the first non-European Nobel Laureate in literature, was born 150 years back. The multidimensional personality of this Himalayan figure could be studied and restudied. For this reason, as his works are being evaluated from novel points of view, his life is being discovered from newer resources. Today the ninevolume Rabijiboni by Prashanta Kumar Paul (1938-2007) is the most appreciated biography of this maestro, though it encompassed only up to the year 1926 when the poet was only sixty five. We don’t know how many more volumes could be needed to expose the rest fifteen years of the poet’s life if Prasantakumar sustained. Before this incomplete but new one, Prabhatkumar Mukhopadhya’s (1892-1985) book Rabindrajiboni a fourvolume complete initiative was also a worthy read. But before all these the first attempt to write a biography of Rabindranath was made in 1911, before the poet’s recognition as a Nobel-laureate by Ajitkumar Chakravarty.
Ajitkumar was born in 1886 in Kolkata, though their ancestral home was in Kotalipara, Faridpur, Son of Sreecharan and Shushila Devi, Ajitkumar completed his graduation in 1904 and with much enthusiasm joined the Shantiniketan School at Bolepur. In 1910 he was married to Labonyalekha ( 1891? – 1972) as a result of their love for each other. Rabindranath himself did organize the ceremony. As Labonya was a widow, the marriage was not welcomed by Ajit’s mother. On the other hand as it was a love marriage it was not hailed by the acquaintances of his Santiniketan Society. With the initiative of Rabindranath, immediately after the marriage Ajit left for Manchester on a scholarship but due to ill health he had to, sorrowfully, return home in three months. Ajitkumar authored the biography of Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905), Rabindranath’s father, too. The other books to Ajit’s credit were Brahmo-Vidyalaya, Batayan and Khrista. A powerful actor, musician and excellent teacher and writer of school text books Ajit had to leave Santiniketan, for some mysterious reasons, in 1915 where he never could return though he was never deprived of the love of Rabindranath. To earn a meagre livelihood, once upon a time Ajit had to go to Assam where he died of influenza in 1918.
Rabindranath, the biography of the Nobel Laureate by Ajitkumar does have five chapters. The first one mainly introduces the author’s objectives and procedures which delineate that the book will primarily illuminate the development of the poetic identity of Rabindranath pointing through his writings. The second chapter deals with the childhood days of the poet. It can be mentioned here that the author of the book interviewed the poet, though at that time he was not that much acclaimed across the world, not less known to the Indian nationals. Ajitkumar was given the authority to use those along with some letters of the poet that express the different attitudes and changes of the intellectual shape of the poet.
As a result, we find so many things portrayed in the book that were later on narrated in the autobiographical writing of the poet himself. Te publication of Jibonsmriti (Reminiscences) in 1912 was actually slowed down by Rabindranath himself for the publication of Ajitkumar’s book. The spotlights of the early years of Tagore’s life, like his eagerness for going to school, his unwillingness to continue schooling, his worst experiences with the teachers etc are the treasures of both the books. Ajitkumar has tried to spot the beginning of the authorial life of Rabindranath. Bhagnahridoy to Snadhya Sangeetto Prokritir Protishod are evaluated by the author. Later on, how he developed his philosophical abilities are also sketched. After some years, started the era of new thoughts and beliefs. The poet went through Chitrangada, then Manashi, and in his thirties he prompted to the era of Sadhana. Then the poet intermingled with mysticism and in the last years of the nineteenth century his brooding for patriotic feeling came out. Starting with Kalpona, Kotha, Kahiniand Kshonika, he passed on to Noibedyaand thus the true patriot Rabindranath was established.
Thus came the year 1901. Bolepur Santiniketan School, a dream of Rabindranath’s, started its journey with only five students. Afterwards, the poet was endowed with the responsibility of editing the literary journal Bangadarshan. The more he began to be patriotic, the more the British government began to hurt that patriotic feeling of the Indian nationals. The climax of that exploded with the division of Bengal in 1905 that pushed the poet more and more close to the political milieu of the then India and his fellow citizens of Bengal and with all these incidents came the 50th birthday of poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Today, on the verge of the 150th birth anniversary of the poet, it is rather easier to write a biography of the deceased but worthy acclaimed literary figure. But surely, it was not that much easy on the 50th birth anniversary of the less-known poet during the latter’s lifetime. It was Ajitkumar Charkvarti who took the effort of his own. In 1911, the birth day of the poet was celebrated by the school students through a three-day programme where Ajitkumar read out his long articles. The one is on the poet’s life, and the other on the poetic merits of his which has later on published under the little Kavyo-porikromain 1914.
Subrata Kumar Das, the author of www.bangladeshinovels.com, can be reached at