Tagore’s Legacy
To commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath
Tagore, the Indian Cultural Center, Colombo, Lakshman Kadirgamar
Institute for International Relations and The Center for Contemporary
Indian Studies, University of Colombo had organized a one-day seminar on
Tagore and Sri Lanka.
It was a very timely discussion, well organized, well represented and
well attended and all the credit goes to the organizers.
The Seminar began with the singing of the National Anthems. Many of
the Sri Lankans sang along with the recorded music, while the Indian
delegates were silent, and then the Indians sang with the Indian Anthem.
Looking at the photograph of Tagore on the screen, I wondered how
wonderful it would have been, and how happy Tagore would have been, had
he been here this morning, if we had been able to sing one song, a song
for humanity, a Universal Anthem, a Vishvagita. We came together to
honour Gurudev, but we sang separately.
It was mentioned that in the early 20's of the last century, this
song, Janaganamana had been used as a national anthem at Mahinda
College, Galle, by replacing Bharato by Sinhalo. In the same manner if
we could change Bharato to ‘Loko’ (if that is the correct Bengali term)
and use the names of continents and major geographical landmarks instead
of Indian states and landmarks, then we could have a Universal Anthem,
which could be sung by all mankind. Tagore would have agreed with such
changes.
Tagore himself had translated the song into English, and named it
‘The Morning Song of India’, and we could rename it ‘The Morning Song of
Humanity'.
The English version is available in the public domain, it could now
be translated into all world languages, but still retain a universal
anthem in the original Bengali in honour of Tagore, because he was a
true human being, a true Purushottama.
Tagore does not belong to India. He belongs to the whole world, to
all life in the universe, the multiverse. He does not belong to England,
even though a mockery of the Nobel was made with the opening words of
the Award Ceremony Speech “In awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature to
the ‘Anglo-Indian’ poet, Rabindranath Tagore..” and in the same speech
referring to Debendranath Tagore and the Brahmo Samaj, “an enlightened
and influential man who had been much impressed by the doctrines of
Christianity” (Harold Hjame, Chairman Nobel Committee). But the colonial
masters failed to make Tagore to be a cultural comprador.
About ‘Janaganamana’ Tagore had said, “In a sense it is more a
religious hymn for all mankind than a national anthem for any country”.
If Vandemataram had been retained as the national anthem of India,
perhaps someday Janaganamana could have been easily adapted as the
global anthem. As Tagore had written in a letter in 1921, “I love India,
but my India is an idea and not a geographical expression. Therefore, I
am not a patriot - I shall seek my compatriots all over the world”.
National Anthems around the world were a result of the emergence of
nations.
Its origins could be traced to Europe, the industrial and economic
revolutions, because there was a need for such a socio-political
organization. But today the situation has changed once again, when it is
time for a concept of Universalism instead of Nationalism, which Tagore
envisaged a century ago. Tagore had written that nationalism is “the
organized self interest of a people, where it is least human and least
spiritual”. (Nationalism, 1916). Most nations which have identified
themselves under different names today, had been under different states,
different kingdoms or reigns, and such kingdoms, expanded, contracted,
split up all depending on the strength of their leaders. Perhaps earth
will become One Nation when someday we are invaded by life from outer
space.
Today we honour Tagore for creating the national anthems of India and
Bangladesh and also influencing the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Yet
had he been with us today would he have been happy with the honour, or
would he have renounced it the way he renounced his knighthood?
As my thoughts were moving along these lines, I heard mention of
“ekla chalo re”, “if they answer not to thy call walk alone”. I wondered
if we have, all this time taken this song at its face value, and are we,
each one of us, walking alone, when we could all walk together, or make
a serious attempt to do so, before venturing out alone.
This thought grew stronger, as someone from the audience asked about
the effect Tagore had on Jaffna, her people and her culture, because of
his visits to Jaffna and also how he was accepted in the north.
We look forward to attending another seminar, which could be arranged
by these same organizers, with participants from Jaffna and also from
the Tamil speaking community which includes the Tamils and the Muslims
in Sri Lanka, so that the main theme, Tagore and Sri Lanka would be
covered completely.
Another question raised by the audience was of the ‘theistic’ and
‘atheistic’ views of Tagore. That is an irrelevant issue, because such a
question comes to our minds only when we think in the English language.
The concept of God, of ‘theism’ as known in the west, has no
relevance to Tagore, to India or to the entire east. If we are to use
all such western labels, then Tagore was a theist and an atheist, a
Hindu, a Jain, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim and a heretic.
Let us learn from the entire song, ‘Jodi tor daak shune’, instead of
only ‘ekla chalo re’, and sing together and walk together to a better,
more humane world.
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