The effect of Santiniketan on Sri Palee - Part II:

How Gurudev’s visit awakened Sri Lanka

In this article the founder of Sri Palee, Wilmot A. Perera, recalls the impact made by Gurudev, Santiniketan and Sri Palee on cultural re-awakening in Sri Lanka.

On May 9, Gurudev and his party of almost 40 arrived on the S. S. Inchanga. The late Sir D. B. Jayatilaka, who was then the Leader of the House, and W. L. Murphy, the then Mayor of Colombo received him at the jetty. In an interview on the day of his arrival, he said: “You are part and parcel of India. You are really Indians. The blood which runs in your veins is the same as that of Indians. We want you to come and share our heritage”.

With Gurudev was Nandalal Bose and a number of his students who came in charge of the paintings from Santiniketan. These were on exhibition at the Art Gallery in Colombo at the formal opening of which the poet spoke on ‘The Ideals of Indian Art'. At the Colombo Town Hall the title of his address was 'The Challenge of Judgment'.

At the Rotary Lunch he spoke on the ‘Ideals of an Indian University’. He also recited his poems at the Y.M.B.A. and the Y.M.C.A. and spoke in Jaffna, Kandy, Horana and Panadura.

Acclaim of Shap Mochan

Of Shap Mochan (Redemption), the Ceylon Press acclaimed it as: ‘A feast of dance and song and music’. ‘Greatest within Living Memory’.

The ‘Daily News’ said “Since the unknown artist put the last finishing touches to the frescoes on the face of the rock at Sigiriya, nothing greater in the way of Oriental art has been achieved in this island than that created by the Tagore players in the presentation of Shap Mochan. This is not said through hyperbole or any desire for grandiloquent expression.”

In its main editorial of May 1934, titled. ‘A Testament of Beauty’, the same paper said: ……….“While the people of Ceylon accept gratefully and with humility the boon Tagore has given them, they may well ask themselves whether it is not their duty to do something more. It would be a poor compliment to the poet to praise him but fail to be influenced by his example and his personality. Ceylon is very badly in need of a movement to inculcate a proper appreciation of oriental art and music, and it would be appropriate if she went to India which has given her many gifts as mother to daughter, for guidance and help.

Political advancement alone will not restore the self-respect of the people. If they are to lift up their heads without fear and take their place beside the other Eastern nations that are challenging the attention of the world, they must be able to show that they are capable of enduring achievements in the realm of the Spirit.”

In another main editorial on May 21st, 1934, titled 'The Soul of a People', the Daily News said: “……..Colombo has been privileged to sample some of the beauty of that harvest during the last few days. In song and dance and music, through the poet’s utterances, thousands of people have been fortunate enough to take an enchanting glimpse of the joy and beauty that have accompanied a return to the natural genius of the race ………..A visit to the present exhibition in the Art Gallery and to Shap Mochan - which the poet has very kindly agreed to stage in Colombo - will convince the most sceptical that there is a special quality in the Bengal art traditions which could not blossom in an artificial or alien atmosphere or through the medium of a foreign tongue. When they have given us of their beauty and gone away ……….it will be the duty of men and women who are anxious that the national genius of Ceylon should be re-inspired, to keep the flame that Tagore has lit from flickering out………..”

Gurudev’s visit had awakened us. It was a most propitious time to initiate the educational centre that I had in mind for a number of years. Gurudev came to Horana on May 20th, and after laying the foundation stone of the building for our crafts school, said; “…….My heart goes out to these simple people from the neighbouring villages and I feel unhappy that I am not able to speak to them in their own language, but I hope that they will realise that they have my heartiest blessings and I wish them well.

It reminds me of my own work in Bengal, this institution which you have started, and I feel that this will be a channel of communication of hearts between your island and our institution in Bengal. It makes me feel so happy………my friend. I hope that you will succeed with your mission and we shall join hand, from across the seas in Bengal and in this island.”

Gurudev named the institution ‘Sri Palee’ (Sri - the Goddess of Beauty and Palee - where she reigns). How far we have succeeded or not and to what extent our hopes and aspirations have been fulfilled, is not for me to indicate here but we have tried to maintain that contact with Santiniketan and draw inspiration from the ideals that Gurudev set out: ‘Yatra Visvam Bhabatye Ekanidam.’

Kandyan dance

That day he was at Sri Palee, Gurudev saw our traditional dances - what goes by the name of Kandyan dancing, performed by a troupe from Kegalle. He was so fascinated that he mentioned to me that I should arrange for a dancer and drummer to go back with him to Santiniketan, but his secretary advised me that I should not further the idea because they simply could not afford it. Speaking the following evening at the Panadura Town Hall he made a reference to the beauty of these dances and chided us for allowing it to languish.

Until then Kandyan dancing was confined to the Peraheras and ceremonials in the Kandyan homelands. To Gurudev we owe the revival of these dance forms and its development over the last 25 years. The same is true of the interest shown in our country in the vocal and instrumental music of the East and in the techniques of the Abanindranath School of Painting.

Santiniketan artistes at Sri Palee

We, for ourselves, at Sri Palee have had specialist teachers for varying periods from Santiniketan. Santidev Ghose, the chief male dancer in Shap Mochan, came out to us twice and helped our students to present their ballets, the first of which was put on the boards in Colombo two years after Gurudev’s visit. Kiren De and Jayanthi Parekh, students of Santiniketan, were with us for over two years. Vidyadar Wazalwar, one of the instructors in instrumental music at Santiniketan at present, went there from Sri Palee.

A number of our students have been trained there in the Fine Arts, one of them having had the distinction of being selected by Gurudev for one of the main parts in Chitrangada, performed in Bombay and Nagpur. Through these student teachers we have sent out to the various central colleges of the government, the Heywood School and the Radio Ceylon Orchestra, a number of instructors to spread the learning they received here.

Founders of dance schools in our country, Vajira, of the Chitrasena School, and Prema Kumar of the Tambapanni School, and Ananda Samarakone, the composer of our national anthem, have at some time or other, been at Sri Palee.

There can be only one Rabindranath Tagore, only one Santiniketan. His disciples are “mere whispers of the great song.” But yet we in Ceylon owe to him and to India that produced him a debt we cannot repay.

Concluded