THE HINDU STUDENTS
COUNCIL PRESENTS
RABINDRA
JAYANTI
2005
CELEBRATING
TAGORE
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
From- Rabindranath Tagore's Geetanjali
Hey Nuton Dekha Dik Aarbaar
Janmero
Prothomo Shubhokhaan
Hey Nuton Dekha Dik Aarbaar Janmero
Prothomo Shubhokhaan
Hey nuton,
O invigorating one,
Dekha dik aar-baar
Reveal yourself again-and-again
Janmer pratham subhokhan. Beautiful first moments of your
Tomaro prakash hog,
birth
Kuhulika kori udhgatan
May your light manifest itself
Shurjer moton.
To penetrate the mist
Riktata-r bakkha bhedi
Like the Sun.
Aapnar-e karo unmochan.
Piercing the embodiment of
Byakta hok jivener jaya,
emptiness
Byakta hok
Reveal yourself to us.
Toma-majhe asima-r chirLet there be assertion of Life’s
bismay.
triumph
Uday-digante shankh baaje, In you, let there be expression
More chitta-majhe
Of that ever-wondrous
Chir-nutoner-e dilo daak
limitless.
Pacchis-e baisakh.
In the morning horizon,
The conch plays within my heart.
Tagore &
Social Reform
Aamaar Maatha Nato
Korey
Amaar Maatha Nato Korey
Amaar maatha nato korey dao
hey tomar
Charano dhularo toley
Shakalo ahankaare aamaar
Dobaao chokher jale amaar
Nije rey korite gauraba daan
Nije rey kebali kori apamaan
Aponaare shudhu gheriya
gheryia
Ghure mori paley paley
Amare na jano kori prochaar
Amaro apono kaajey
Tomari iccha koro hey purna
Amaro jibano majhey
Jachi hey tomaro charomo
shanti
Poraney tomar karamo kanti
Amare Aar Koriya Daarao
Hridaya Padda Daley
Lower my head
Beneath the dust of Thy feet
Drown my self-conceit
In the depth of my tears.
In order to glorify myself
I constantly insult my (inner)
self
Dead tired I become,
revolving around myself.
May I not promote myself
In any of my deeds.
Fulfill Thy mission, O Lord,
Through this life of mine.
Grant me Thy ultimate peace,
Thy permanent grace in life.
Let the lotus heart feel Thy
presence As the shield of love.
Bajilo Kahar
Beena
Bajilo Kahar Beena
Bajilo kahar bina, Modhur swarey
Amar nibhrito nabo jibon porey
Probhat kamalsamo Uthilo Hridoy
Mamo
Kar duti nirupamo charantorey
Jege otho sab shova, sob madhuri
Palokey palokey hia, pulokey puri
Kotha hotey somiron, aaney nabo
jagoran
Poraner aboron mochano korey
Laage bukey, sukhey dukhey kato
je betha
Kemoney bujhaye kabo na jani
kotha
Amar basona aaji, tribhuboney
uthey baaji
Kaapey nodi
banoraji,bedonabhorey
Whose lyre(veena) is playing such a
sweet tune
At the feet of my silent, new life
Like a morning lotus, my heart blossoms
For whose two beautiful feet
Wake up all slumberers, all inebriated
Wakes up every moment my heart and
fills my home
From where the wind brings a new
awakening
Breaking the cover of life
My heart feels the pain of happiness and
sorrow
I do not have words to explain
My desire today rings out in the threeworlds
Causing the river and the forests to
tremble in pain
Tumi Kemon Korey Gaan Koro
Hey Guni
Tum Kaise Sur Mein Gaa Rahey
Hey Guni
Tum Kaise Sur Mein Gaa Rahey
Hey Guni
Tum kaise sur mein gaa rahe,
Hey guni
Main to awaak, hoke sunoo,
kewal sunoo
Sur ki abha chaye
bhuvan mein
Sur ki hawa bahe
gagan mein
Pathar toote vyakul veg mein
Bahe jaa rahi
sur ki surdwani
Man karta hai tere
jaisa gaaoon
Kanth mein main swar
khoj na paaoon
Kehna kya hai kehte
kanth roondhe
Haar maankar praan merae roye
Mujhpar tune daale kaise phande
Chouhun ho rahi sur ki jaalbuni
How dost thou sing so melodiously,
O Talented One!
Amazed, I listen captivated, I simply
listen.
The glow of your melody pervades
this Universe
The breeze of Your melody floats
across the sky
Stones break in its gutsy force
And it flows on,
The sound of melodies.
My heart yearns to sing
like you,
In my throat, I cannot
find my voice
My voice chokes as I
try to utter your words,
Failed, my being weeps
What noose have you thrown around my
neck?
Everywhere You weave this web of
melodies.
Tagore and Feminism:
Tagore and Feminism:
Deconstructing the role of the
Female Heroine in Rabindranath Tagore’s
Works
Overview
• Feminism as a central aspect within
all modes of Tagore’s work
• Construction of the Female Heroine:
– Female’s emotions
– Feminine empowerment
• “Performing Rabindranath” as a
feminist construct
Females in the Limelight
•
•
•
•
•
Short Stories
Drama
Dance
Rabindrasangeet and Poetry
Viswa Bharathi and Shantiniketan
The Female Heroine
• Female’s emotions
• Feminine empowerment
Charulata
• Based on Tagore’s "Nastanirh“
(“The Broken Nest”)
• Satyajit Ray’s Adaptation
–
–
–
–
–
–
1870s, India under British rule
Charu, “The Lonely Wife”
Bhupati, her husband and an intellectual
Amal, Bhupati’s younger cousin
Charu transcends her role as wife
Through writing, she is liberated, but is
society willing to accept this new woman?
Charulata
Film Clip
Charulata
• Themes
– Female emotion
• Love
– Female empowerment
• Liberation through writing
• Is Charu ultimately seen as an equal by her
husband? By society?
• Emergence of the modern woman in
the upper-class of colonial India
“Performing Rabindranath”
• Women performers of Tagore’s
works in the forefront
– Great performers, teachers, musicians
– Female actresses as empowered
leaders
Global Perspectives
• Women’s movement as a humanist
construct
• Role of women
– Intrinsic to Bengal
– Comparison to rest of world
Conclusion: Is the world yet able to
accept Tagore’s vision of the
strong, liberated woman?
“Kadombini moriya proman korilo je she
more nai”
“Kadombini commits death to prove she
was alive”
-Tagore, Chokher Bali
Shuneel Shagorey
Shuneel
Shagorey
Shuneel shaagorer shyamal
kinarey
Dekhechhi pothey jete
tulonahinari
E kotha kobhu aar paari naa
ghuchitey
Aachhe she nikhiler madhuri
ruchitey
E kotha shikhanu je amar
binary
Ganetey chinalen se chiro
chinarey
She kotha surey surey
chhorabo
pichhoney
Swapanofasoler bichhoney
bichhoney
Modhupgunjey se lahari tulibey
Kusumkunje se pabaney dulibey
Jhoribey shraboner
badolosichoney
Walking by the dark banks of the blue
ocean
I saw the incomparable lady
I am unable to organize my thoughts
She is the loving idea of the endless
I taught this to my lyre (veena)
I introduced the ever-known through my
songs
These words shall follow my tunes
In the beds of fruits of dreams
In the garden of love, they will ride the
waves
They will roll in the winds of the flower
gardens
They will shed in the rains of the monsoon
Chal Akela Rey
Aami chini go
chini tomaarey,
ogo bideshini
Aami Chini Go Chini Tomaarey, Ogo Bideshini
I know you, I so know you,
O Lady of the Foreign Land
Ami chini-go-chini tomare
Ogo Bideshini
Tumi thaako sindhu pare
Ogo bideshini.
I know you, I so know you,
O lady of foreign land.
Across the ocean, you live
O lady of the foreign land.
Tomaye dekhechi sharadpratey,
Tomaye dekhechi madhobiraatey,
Tomaye dekhechi hridimajharey
Ogo bideshini.
On a soft wintry morning I see
you,
I see you in those inebriated
nights,
I see you in center of my heart
O lady of the foreign land.
Aami aakash-e patiya kaan,
Shunechi shunechi tomar
gaan,
Aami tomare sonpechi pran
Ogo bideshini.
Bhubano bhramiya seshey,
Aami eshechi nuton deshey,
Aami atithi tomari dware
Lending my ears to the skies,
I hear your songs.
I have surrendered my life to you,
O lady of the foreign lands.
Traversing the whole World
I have come to this new country.
I am guest at your door,
O lady of the foreign land.
Aaguner Parasmoni Chhoao Praaney
Touch my Soul with the magic of
your Fire (O Lord)
Aaguner Parasmoni Chhoao Praaney
Aaguner parasmani chuaao prane
Ey jiban punna karo
Dahan dane.
Amar-e deho-khani tule dharo,
Tomare-e devalaye pradip karoNishidin aalok sikha jaluk gane.
Adhare-r gaye gaye parash tav
Sara rat phutak tara nav nav.
Nayane-r drishti hote goonchbe kalo,
Jekhane porbe sethaye
Dekhabe aaloBetha mor uthbe jale urdhva-pane.
Touch my soul with magic of your fire.
Make my life a pious offering.
Lift me in your arms
Make me the flame to light your temple,
Day and night, let me burn in your songs
In every dark corner
I sense your touch,
Night is replete with new stars.
From these enlightened eyes,
darkness shall vanish
Wherever I set my sights, I will see light.
Let my pain burn away with the flame.
Tagore and Education
VISHWA BHARATI,
SHANTINIKETAN
Tara Beteille, Rashmi Raghu
Stanford University
Purpose of Education
Achieving unity with truth
Harmony with all existence
Acquiring fullness in person
Freeing the soul
What should such an
education be?
• Freedom of thought
• Freedom of movement
• Freedom to create
“To discover freedom of outlook,
the mind must soar into the upper
air of abstraction, swim into the
very heart of the infinite for the
mere joy of it, and then fly back to
its nest in the world.”
…Tagore in “My School”
The ‘School’
• Alienates the child from nature
– Stresses humankind’s superiority;
defines a hierarchy that restricts
freedom and the learning process
• Alienates the child from itself
– Uniformity and averages
– Transmitting information
– Standardized curriculum and
examinations
“A mind all logic is like a knife
all blade. It makes the hand
bleed that uses it.”
…. Rabindranath Tagore
Shantiniketan
Open, free, abundant
and spontaneous
Learning from nature,
life and the teacher
Shantiniketan
Nature as an unending
source of learning
The teacher as
friend & guide:
liberates individual
initiative and enterprise
Shantiniketan
No desks, chairs or
classrooms
Children should be free
To organize their own
environment
Shantiniketan
• Education: gradual and progressive
• Begin with the training of instincts and
emotions and in self-reliance and
communal cooperation
• Next: art, music and play
• Medium of instruction to be the mother
tongue
• Opposed religious instruction
Vishwa-Bharati: The
University
• Vishwa-Bharati - ‘Knowledge of the
World’ – a new kind of ‘university’
• Motto: “Yatra Vishwum
Bhavatyekanidam” – all the world in one
place. Emphasized the need for a
mutually beneficial relationship
between the east and the west.
• “a school in which men of different
civilizations and traditions may learn to
live together.”
• Sriniketan – center for helping rural
and village community developments.
What can we learn?
• We must be willing to engage in
processes of negotiation and
redefinition
– What should progress and civilization be?
– How important are power and success to true
development?
“…respect all the differences
that are real, yet remain
conscious of our oneness; and
to know that perfection of
unity is not in uniformity but in
harmony.”
…. Tagore in Creative Unity
Dariye Aachho Tumi Aamar
Dariye Aachho Tumi Aama
Daariye aachho tumi amar
gaaner o paarey
Aamar surgulee paaye charan
aami paayine tomaarey
Baataash bohey mori mori, aar
bedhe rekho na tori
Esho esho paar hoye mor
hridoy-o majhamre
Tomar saathey gaaner khela,
durer khela je
Bedonate baasi bajaye sakol
bela je
Kobey neeye amar baasi, bajabe
go aapni aasi
Anondomoy neerob raater
goviro aadhaarey
You stand on the other side of my
songs
My tune finds their hold, I cannot
find you
Wind blows softly, do not bind me
anymore
Come, come, cross over, into the
center of my heart
With you I play the game of songs,
but this game is still at a
distance
All day, the flute plays in my
sadness
When will you take my flute and
play it yourself
In the happy and quiet darkness
of the night
Klaanti Meri Kshama
Karo Prabhu
Forgive My Fatigue, O Lord
Klaanti Meri Kshama Karo
Probhu
Klanti meri kshama karo prabhu Forgive my fatigue, O Lord,
Path mein peeche peeche rahun If I’ve fallen behind on my
kabhi
journey
Hriday mera thara thara
Forgive my fatigue, O Lord.
Kaampe aaj rahe rahe
My body shivers today all
Yehi vedna kshama karo
over
kshama karo prabhu
Forgive my pain,
Meri deenta kshama karo prabhu Forgive me, O Lord.
Peeche dekhu murhke jo kabhi
Forgive my destitution, O
Din taape yeh rudra jwaala
Lord,
Sukhi tere pooja maala
If I look back sometimes.
Yehi mlanta kshama karo
In the dreadful heat of day,
Your garland has dried up.
Forgive my soiled offering,
O Lord.
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Ekla Chalo, Ekla Chalo, Ekla Chalo
Ekla Chalo Rey
Go on alone, go on alone, go on alone,
Go on alone
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Jodi Keyu Kotha na koy
If no one speaks up
Orey orey O Obhaaga, Keyu kotha na koye
O Unfortunate One, if no one speaks up
Jodi shobai thaake mukh phiraye, Shobai kore bhoy
If all have turned their face away and are fearful
Jodi shobai thaake mukh phiraye, Shobai kore bhoy
If all have turned their face away and are fearful
Tobey poran khuley O Tui Mukh phutey tor moner kotha
Ekla Bolo Rey
Then, open your heart, and speak your mind on your own
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Jodi shobai phirey jaye
If all are leaving you
Orey orey O Obhaaga shobai phirey jaye
O Unfortunate One, if all are leaving you
Jodi gahan pathey jabar kaaley
Keyu phirey naa chaaye
As they leave, if no one even glances back
Jodi gahan pathey jabar kaaley
Keyu phirey naa chaaye
As they leave, if no one even glances back
Tobey Pother Kaanta O Tui Raktomakha Charan Toley
Ekla Dolo Rey
Then with your blood-soaked feet,
Trample the thorns in your path and move on
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Jodi aalo na dhorey
If the flame does not hold
Orey orey O Obhaaga Aalo naa dhorey
O Unfortunate one, if the flame does not hold
Jodi Jhor Badoley Aandhar Raatey Duaar Daye Ghorey
If on a stormy night, all have shut their doors to you
Jodi Jhor Badoley Aandhar Raatey Duaar Daye Ghorey
If on a stormy night, all have shut their doors to you
Tobey bajra noley, Aapon buker paanjor jaliye neeye
Ekla jolo rey
Then, let the lightning set your breastbone ablaze and
shine on alone
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
Ekla Chalo, Ekla Chalo, Ekla Chalo
Ekla Chalo Rey
Go on alone, go on alone, go on alone,
Go on alone
Jodi tor daak shuney keu naa ashe tobey ekla chalo rey
If no one heeds your call, then go on alone
NATIONALISM
Tagore
composed two
songs that
were adopted
as the
national
anthems of
India and
Bangladesh
INDIAN
NATIONAL
ANTHEM
JANA GANA MANA
Jana Gana Mana
A Spiritual Prayer
The people of this land celebrate the
glory of the controller of their destiny!
From Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, to the Southern lands and
Bengal, from the Vidhyas, Himachals, the
dancing waters of the Yamuna and
Ganga.
Glory to the ruler of the minds of all
people, the controller of India's destiny.
Thy name arouses all, from the
hearts of the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, to the Southern lands
Orrisa and Bengal, from the
Vindhyas, Himalayas, the rivers
Yamuna and Ganga, to the Indian
ocean.
They all seek thy blessing and sing
to thy glory.
Glory to the well-wisher of this sea of humanity,
the controller of India’s destiny.
Glory to thee, Glory to thee, Glory to thee
Glory to thee!
Jana Gana Mana
Adhinayaka Jaya Hey
Bharata Bhagya Vidhaata
Glory to the ruler of the minds of all
people, the controller of India's
destiny.
Punjaaba Sindha Gujarata
Marathaa Dravida Utkala
Banga
Vidhya Himachala Yamuna
Gangaa
Ucchala Jaladhi Taranga
Tava Shubha Naame Jaage
Thy name arouses all,
from the hearts in Punjab, Sindh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, to the
Southern lands, Orissa and Bengal
from the Vidhyas and the
Himalayas, to the dancing waters
of the Yamuna and Ganga
Tava Shubha Ashisha Maange
Gahey Taba Jaya Gaatha
They all seek thy blessing and
sing to thy glory.
Jana Gana Mangala Dayaka
Jaya Hey,
Bharata Bhagya Vidhaata
Glory to the well-wisher of this
sea of humanity,
The controller of India’s destiny.
Jaya Hey, Jaya Hey, Jaya Hey
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey
Glory to thee, glory to thee,
glory to thee, glory to thee!
When asked what he thought of
Western culture, Gandhi thought
“it was a good idea.”
Tagore opposed
British Rule, not
Western culture and
civilization
Stressed Synthesis
of cultures
“To get on familiar terms with the local people is a part of your
education. To know only agriculture is not enough; you must know
America too. Of course if, in the process of knowing America, one
begins to lose one's identity and falls into the trap of becoming an
Americanised person contemptuous of everything Indian, it is preferable
to stay in a locked room.”
… to his son-in-law Nagendranath Gangulee who had come to America in 1907 to study
Agriculture
Rebelled against
strongly nationalist
form of
independence
movement
“He was afraid that a rejection of the West in favor of an indigenous
Indian tradition was not only limiting in itself; it could easily turn into
hostility to other influences from abroad, including Christianity…
Judaism… Zoroastrianism… and most importantly, Islam.”
… Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, on Tagore
Criticized Patriotism
“Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I
will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I will never allow
patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live.”
… in a letter, responding to the criticism of Abala Bose, wife of scientist J. C. Bose
Criticized Patriotism
“I am willing to serve my country; but my worship I reserve for Right
which is far greater than my country. To worship my country as a God is
to bring a curse upon it.”
… the protagonist in Tagore’s novel, The Home and the World
Gandhi & Tagore
Tagore popularized the term “Mahatma” when referring to Gandhi
“Great as he is as a politician, as an organizer, as a leader of men, as a moral
reformer, he is greater than all these as a man, because none of these aspects and
activities limits his humanity. They are rather inspired and sustained by it.”
… Tagore in the essay, “Gandhi, the Man”
Gandhi & Tagore
Gandhi and Nehru both appreciated the important role Tagore played in the
national freedom struggle, although Gandhi and Tagore shared serious differences
on nationalism, patriotism and vision.
… Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, on Tagore
On Freedom
“When Freedom is not an inner idea which imparts strength to our activities and
breadth to our creations, when it is merely a thing of external circumstance, it is
like an open space to one who is blindfolded.”
…Tagore in his essay, “The Spirit of Freedom”
On the West and
India
“The civilization of the West has in it the spirit of the machine which must move;
and to that blind movement human lives are offered as fuel, keeping up the steampower.”
…Tagore in his essay, “The Spirit of Freedom”
On the West and
India
The present civilization of India has the constraining power of the mould. It
squeezes living man in the grip of rigid regulations…
…Tagore in his essay, “The Spirit of Freedom”
On the West and
India
In both of these traditions life is offered up to something which is not life…
…Tagore in his essay, “The Spirit of Freedom”
On the West and
India
The West is continually producing mechanical power in excess of its spiritual
control, and India has produced a system of mechanical control in excess of its
vitality.
…Tagore in his essay, “The Spirit of Freedom”
Freedo
Where the mind is without
fear and the head is held high
m
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
-- Rabindranath Tagore's Geetanjali
What is India?
What is India?
Indian Indian
What is India?
Indian Indian
Indian American
What is India?
Indian Indian
Indian American
Indian XXX
What is India?
Indian Indian
Indian XXX
Indian American
Indian
Subcontinent
The Indian Ethos
The Indian Ethos
“I do not think that it is the spirit of India to reject anything, reject any race, reject
any culture. The spirit of India has always proclaimed the ideal of unity. The ideal
of unity never rejects anything, any race, or any culture. It comprehends all, and it
has been the highest aim of our spiritual exertion to be able to penetrate all things
with one soul, to comprehend all things as they are, and not to keep out anything in
the whole universe – to comprehend all things with sympathy and love. This is the
spirit of India… India is there to unite all human races.”
…Tagore in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
An International Hymn
SRinvantu viswe amRitasya putraaH
vedehametam purusham mahaantam
aditya varnam tamasa parastat
tvameva viditvaa amRitvameti
…Shwestashwara Upanishad
“Hark O children of the Immortal,
Listen O Divine beings,
I have known Him –
The One beyond all illusion,
Beyond darkness, ever resplendentKnow Him, look at Him.
That’s the only way to transcend death.”
Tomaar Holo Shuru Aamaar Holo Shaara
Tera Yeh Ath Hai, Iti Hai Yeh Mera
Tera Yeh Ath Hai, Iti Hai Yeh Mera
Tera yeh ath hai
Iti hai yeh mera
Tum hum mile yunhi
Behti rahe dhara
Tere jale baati
Tere ghar saathi
Mere yahan raatri
Mere rahe taara
Tera hai kinaara
Meri jaldhaara
Rehna tera nishchal
Mera yeh chala chal
Rahe jo tere kar mein
Kshay ho mere kar mein
Bhay hai tere man mein
Main hoon bhayahaara
Thine is the beginning,
My lot is ending
You & I thus mingling,
Like a stream ever
flowing.
For you there’s lamp,
You have your friend,
For
me
there’s
darkness
For
me
stars
are
twinkling.
For you there’s land,
I have water below,
For
you
there
is
waiting,
For
me
is
endless
rolling.