My tryst with Tagore began early…
As with most Bengalis.
Probably even before I was born
Through his songs and poems all around me…
As a child I heard the poems long before I learnt to read.
My grandmother reciting ” Beerpurush” as she tried to feed me…
And I would listen wide eyed
” ত্রমন সময় হাঁ রে রে রে
ওই যে কারা আসতেছে ডাক ছেড়ে “
I too would imagine myself as the brave Khoka of Beerpurush revelling in the heroism.
Sisu ( Child) is the first book of his poems that I had devoured as a child, a collection he probably wrote for his children, poems, that like me, has stayed with children of generations to come.
Kadi o Komol ( Sharps and Flats) Sonar Tori ( Golden Boat), Khanika ( The Flitting One) were priceless possessions of those times.
Truth is, Tagore remains priceless from then to now and beyond..
He remains in the heart, the head and the breath as a constant hum.
A reference point for every emotion,
For Nationalism
For Internationalism
For Life lessons
For Pain
For Joy
And for Love…
Love of everything and everykind
A love for life.
Where love has synergined with spiritualism…
And thats why this tryst never ends…
He remains a constant, yet the context gets refreshed with the passing years….
“তোমায় নতুন করে পাব বলে ….
ও মোর ভালোবাসার ধন।।”