Setu 🌉 सेतु: Guest Editorial: Sutanuka Ghosh Roy

TRIBUTE TO TAGORE ON HIS 161st BIRTHDAY

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is almost a household name for an average Bengali home and a certain amount of knowledge about Tagore the multi-faceted genius—his poetry, songs, plays, dance dramas, essays, short fictions and paintings have become an integral part of the cultural life itself. Indeed, it requires quite an effort, to sum up, his colossal volume of works within a brief span. Tagore's studies are not confined to Bengal his works have been translated into several languages and have reached readers at home and the world. His works seem to be eternal fonts of inspiration for writers. Tagore’s works have been viewed from every conceivable angle and yet have not been understood fully, if the books which still keep revisiting his voluminous works are to be believed. This is evidence of Tagore’s modern relevance in the present times.

Tagore & Satyarthi

Born in a family which spearheaded the upward curve of the Bengali elite in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries his family gave him “the environment of a university and an arts centre rolled into one” (Dyson, 11). Right from his teens, he continuously evolved as a writer from work to work, phase to phase, till the end and got worldwide recognition including the Nobel award (1913) for his writings. As a visionary and thinker, he was against colonialism, oppression, and any kind of injustice and believed in true humanity. He also believed in the essential harmony between man and nature, tradition and modernisation, past heritage and the latest acquirements of learning, political independence, and peace.

Tagore and Einstein

Even in our silent thoughts or everyday articulated feelings we habitually carry on this mark, often without being conscious of it. We need to revisit his works all the more in these troubled times. It is in this backdrop that Prof. Sunil Sharma, Editor Setu came up with this unique and apt theme for the May Special Edition. As the guest editor, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of inviting select poets and authors to contribute to the aforementioned theme. The invited luminaries from India and abroad are all accomplished poets/authors who have shared their excellent theme-based tribute to Tagore on his 161st Birthday. This special edition of Setu is a spontaneous overflow of feelings and emotions put together in one frame. It carries tribute poems, translations of Tagore’s poems, and essays on Tagore’s works. Luminaries across the globe have made it rich. The entire process of inviting and interacting with the luminaries is a great learning experience for me. My deepest gratitude to the poets/authors, who responded to Setu’s call and have made their valuable contributions to this Special Edition on Tagore.

A special thanks to Hawakal Publishers, (Kolkata, New Delhi, India) and author and publisher Bitan Chakraborty for giving us the rightful permission to use the preamble To Tagore’s Sadhana.

Refernces: Dyson, K.K., Introduction to Tagore. Calcutta: Visva-Bharati, 1983: rpt, 1988.

Sutanuka Ghosh Roy

Guest Editor, SETU, May 2022 Special Edition on Gurudev