“Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free…”
When Tagore wrote these lines, he must have envisioned his awareness of nature being our paramount teacher. As we near the 157th anniversary of his illustrious life, nothing rings a truer bell; and, there is no place to experience it better than in Shantiniketan, Bolpur, where he established his world renowned Viswabharati, a university dedicated to true education, away from dogma and the dimming beliefs of the old world in to the sunrise of the new.
Rabindranath Tagore was the first Nobel Laureate from the Asian continent and yet, if one were to truly know him, his life, and his works, it would be clear that it was probably his most insignificant reward. The lyricist, poet, dramatist, and prose writer par excellence has written over a 1000 verses and each connects to his audience on a different note than the others.
Born in one of the most influential families in Bengal, he is the son of a saint and born into an industrial business family of Zamindars which held vast possessions all over the state.
And yet, none of that reflects on to the readers as they read his life’s work – all that seems to remain is a spiritual man who understood the reward that is freedom and valued it above everything else. For a man who is credited with the National Anthems of not one, but two nations, namely India and Bangladesh, Tagore seems to the romantic a lot more than an exceptional list of achievements.
His greatest being his work for the indigenous people of Bolpur and how he worked tirelessly, even to the point of bankruptcy, to liberate them from the shackles of a rotting society into an age of reason, passion, and most of all, love.
When you visit the town, his footprints seem clear and profound from the moment you step onto the concrete of the station and into the red soil of the land. What is even more wondrous is how his belief of what education is and how it should be imparted is still in fruition as students learn about subjects, nature, and life under the canopy of the giant greens in his Utopian paradise. Shantiniketan seems like cultural Eden, a sort of place that might be a far cry from the beauty of the hills or the ocean, but then, it isn’t for the eyes alone; it is for the soul.
Every year, it lusters with the glory that one man’s vision and a whole community’s effort created into the fabulous and world renowned Poush Mela. It is the time when thousands of people flock to this small speck of a town on the map that people wouldn’t even know the name of, if it hadn’t been for Tagore. And, as the Bengali New Year ushers during the ides of April, the university and all the people around gear up to pay homage and tribute to the man whose life’s work is what you see today.
Rabindranath Tagore belonged to the Brahmo sect of Hinduism, which was founded by another visionary, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and believed in the formless creative Brahma. Highly spiritual, his works, songs and verses that are found in the Gitanjali and Gitabitan often give the reader a perception that the lover and the creator are one and the same.
As one goes deeper into this Utopia and walks onto the red earth and eucalyptus forests of Shonajhuri, it becomes easier to believe in his words and every moment spent from that point onwards in this wondrous place is an absolute bliss. As the sun moves towards setting distance, dip your feet into the shallow depths of the Kopai river and lend your ears to folk music of the Baul singers, as they sing the tales of the soil.
Keep reading, travelling and learning more about the untold stories of cities with your travel partner Discovery Holidays.
AUDIO VERSION: