With politically instigated rancour threatening
to dry up the deeper springs of fellow feeling and understanding,
it is highly exalting to recollect Rabindranath Tagore’s
profound attachment with the Darjeeling Hills and particularly
with the tranquil splendour of Mongpu near Kalimpong. He seemed
to be enamoured by the transcendental charm of the Darjeeling
Himalayas and the simplicity of the Hill populace, mostly
people of the Nepali origin. The Darjeeling Himalayas beckoned
him with a mesmerising appeal when his sensitive mind got
restless and fatigued with the ‘mud and squalor’
of the mundane everyday existence. He sought refuge amidst
the austere silence and the wide, compelling ecstasy and peace
surrounding the eternally mystifying Himalayas. By his own
admission, he turned to the Himalayas when the Ineffable's
timeless call overwhelmed him, compelling him to leave behind
the stone load of the striving world for some time.
As per records, Tagore ascended to the Darjeeling hills 11
times. Four times, he came to Mongpu. However, fate intervened
when the physically indisposed poet attempted to come to the
picturesque spot for the fifth time in 1940, ignoring his
physicians’ counsel. He could not reach his destination.
He fell ill on his way to Kalimpong. The abnormal swelling
of his prostrate gland benumbed his senses with pain. He was
brought to Kalimpong in a semi-conscious state. Pratima Devi,
Tagore's daughter-in-law, took him to her Kalimpong residence
‘Gouripur Bhavana'. He, however, could not, stay long
as his condition kept on deteriorating fast. He left for Calcutta
by train from Siliguri station (now, Siliguri Town station)
after staying in Kalimpong for a week.
The date of his departure was 27 September 1940. The time
was around 9 p.m. The platforms were over-crowded. People
scrambled to have a glimpse of the ailing legend. That, however,
proved to be the last glimpse, for the poet never returned
to his favourite haunt. He died in Calcutta a few months later.
At a time when acrimony darkens good sense under overt or
covert political patronage, Tagore’s luminous relationship
with the people of the Darjeeling Hills serves as a balm to
the brazen souls.
They returned his affection thousand fold having discovered
in him a superhuman incarnation of what is divine in man.
Tagore may enlighten us at this critical hour when we all
seem to be walking by our own choice into Hell's trap.
Courtesy: The Statesman |
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