Tumi robe nirobe

Thakurbari, Jorasanko.
My name won’t give any hint at my Bengali identity.

Once a schoolmate doubted my knowledge on Rabindranath Tagore despite knowing we had Bangla as second language in a Christian missionary school in Calcutta!

 With one of Kavi Guru’s famous songs jodi tor dak shune keu na aase, tobe ekla cholo re played in the background at his palatial bungalow at Thakurbari at Jorasanko, some fleeting thoughts crossed my mind.

Is Tagore restricted only to the Bengal-born mind space?

“Tagore is for everyone,” said 2012 Dada Saheb Phalke Award-winner actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who, when not acting, recites poems, be it Tagore’s or his own.

Renowned lyricist-poet-director Gulzar said once the Bengalis didn’t let Tagore out of their state because Viswa Bharti had rights over his works.

In his effort to introduce Tagore to the Hindi-speaking world, Gulzar translated 60-odd Bengali Tagore poems in two books —The Crescent Moon and The Gardener.

To know Tagore, you don’t have to be a Bengali. The poet’s influence isn’t limited to Bengal anymore as several translated works have given access to the non-Bengalis or to those Bengalis who were born and brought up outside the state.

“I haven’t translated any of his works, but whatever little I’ve read from Gitanjali and a few of his stories, I find him to be a very readable poet. His short stories are enchanting,” said Delhi-based translator Naved Akbar.

Last year, renowned lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar translated eight Tagore songs to Hindi thus gave the Hindi audience the opportunity to explore the poet’s work.

“The way he transports you to a different kind of world, leaves you spellbound. He shouldn’t be classified as merely a Bengali writer. His writings are universal, even though they leave a Bengali flavour in your being,” added Naved, who has translated Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, Flood of Fire into Hindi.

Acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Basu also did a world of good when he brings to life the characters of Tagore’s stories through the cinematic imagination of ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ on Epic Channel.

“The TV channels in the regional Bangla genre observe Robi Mash. For a non-resident Bengali like me, it’s a great way to connect with Tagore,” added Arup Ghosh, CEO of Gurgaon-based Network 1 Media.

“The North Indian Bengalis and non-Bengalis are into plays and music. Tagore’s poetry in the Hindi belt is a runaway hit. If the North Indians have a liking for Urdu shayars, then the non-resident Bengalis definitely have their inclination towards Tagore and Nazrul Islam,” said Lucknow-born Ghosh.

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