Tagore and Rivers

The river is a recurrent motif in Rabindranath Tagore’s works. His literary genius was undoubtedly illuminated while staying by the bank of the Padma River at Shilaidaha, Kushtia, where he was sent by his father to supervise their zamindari estates.

River, as a symbol of life, becomes a prominent theme in his creative writings. Ghat, majhi, tarani, kheya, tori, torongo, sesh paranir kori and jol _ jetty, boatman, boat,  ferryman’s tip, water _ words that describe riverine life are very common in Rabindranath’s works. Tagore named his first short story ‘Ghater Kotha’, or Story of the River Bank.

Whilst living at Shilaidaha, Tagore wrote ‘Sonar Tori’, ‘Chitra’, ‘Choitali’, ‘ Konika, ‘ Khinika’, ‘Kolpona’, ‘Kotha’, ‘Noibadya’, ‘Chitrangada’, ‘Malinee’, ‘Chinnapatrabali’ _ in each of these poems the presence of river is significant. Indian author Promotha Nath Bishi proclaimed ‘Chhinipatrabali’ as an epic tale of the Padma.

Tagore’s famous poem ‘Amader Chhoto Nadi’ (Our Small River) immaculately depicts a traditional Bangladeshi river with all its seasonal beauty; some say that the beautiful Padma was on the poet’s mind when he wrote this piece. Here, the poet shows not only the journey of a meandering shallow river, he paints a lively picture of the daily activities of people who sustain their lives from the river.  

Tagore wrote many songs, poems and essays where the river is the main theme. The semblance between rivers and human lives get emphasised in his compositions. Human beings have to overcome many obstacles in the passage of life, Tagore wanted to show this similarity between them and a flowing river.

In his essay ‘Tapaban’, Tagore’s articulation clearly shows the close affinity between man and river. He calls the river ‘the queen of water’. In one of his writings (Prakriti Gitabitan), the poet lovingly says: “You river, the queen of water…sometimes you are serene and deep…sometimes you are full to the brim…sometimes like water of passionate eyes, sometimes you laugh while you pass through”. In his poem ‘Kule’ (The Bank), he says: “On the bank of our river, there is no shore to bathe….here lies the endless river path”.

On the other hand, Tagore also mentions the purity and bounty of rivers in his works.  Some are real and some are imaginary _ rivers such as Mayurakshi, Kopai, Ojay, Dhaleswari are thought provoking machinery which augmented his imagination and creativity. For Tagore, a river is not merely a river, it is a symbol of life; thus he painted the river with different hues of his poetic mind.

In Shilaidaha, where Tagore passed his most creative days, the Padma influenced his mind immensely. In the letters of ‘Chinapatrabali’, the writer often mentioned the magical influence of the Padma, which seemed to engulf his whole entity. He confesses: “I love the Padma River.…While rowing in a boat on the Padma, it becomes a living personality to me.” Romantic poets imbue personality into inanimate things; Tagore did it fascinatingly. The whole of nature was enlivened in his poetic works, and the river was the most prominent among his natural things.

Regarding Tagore’s treatment of rivers, in the short essay ‘Jiban O Brikkha’ (Life and Tree), essayist Motahar Hossain Choudhury says: “In fact, Tagore thought differently. Comparing the blooming of flowers and the course of a river, he observed the similarity between humanity and the course of rivers. The blossoming of a flower is easy, but the course of a river is difficult, it has to suffer crossing through so many obstacles. The pain of humanity is so clearly evident that it is not as facile as the blooming of flowers.”

 “Tagore chooses the hard one, the difficult course of a river; thereby, the river becomes symbolic of human life. In his mystic poem ‘Sonar Tori’ (Golden Boat), Tagore portrays the significance of existence of humanity. Though the river is not the prominent theme here, he related the river to the theme of the poem. The depiction of an abandoned river bank and the uncanny current of the river makes for macabre conditions; the poem is reminiscent of (Robert) Frost’s poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ in its existential question,” he continues.

About Tagore’s concern for the environment, Choudhury concludes: “Erosion is a crucial point of discussion in today’s world, but astonishingly enough, Tagore thought of it a hundred years ago.”

Tagore showed his disquiet about river erosion in a speech, along with (Leonard Knight) Elmhirst, the Yorkshire-born director of ‘Sriniketan’ and the Nobel Laureate’s ardent disciple, at a seminar in 1922. Tagore wanted to save not only rivers, but also other natural components that maintain the environmental equilibrium.

In his excellent dramatic work, ‘Muktadhara’ (Waterfall), Tagore highlighted his distaste for building an artificial dam to thwart the free flow of water. Tagore did not only see rivers from an aesthetic point of view, he was a visionary writer who consciously wanted to find rivers in their fresh, pure and natural condition, which is almost impossible now.  Choked rivers are unable to survive manmade pollution and abuse.

Photos: File

Tagore and Rivers

The river is a recurrent motif in Rabindranath Tagores works. His literary genius was undoubtedly illuminated while staying by the bank of the Padma River at Shilaidaha, Kushtia, where he was sent by his father to supervise their zamindari estates. River, as a symbol of life, becomes a prominent theme in his creative writings. Ghat, majhi, tarani, kheya, tori, torongo, sesh paranir kori and jol _ jetty, boatman, boat, ferrymans tip, water _ words that describe riverine life are very common in Rabindranaths works. Tagore named his first short story Ghater Kotha, or Story of the River Bank. Whilst living at Shilaidaha, Tagore wrote Sonar Tori, Chitra, Choitali, Konika, Khinika, Kolpona, Kotha, Noibadya, Chitrangada, Malinee, Chinnapatrabali _ in each of these poems the presence of river is significant. Indian author Promotha Nath Bishi proclaimed Chhinipatrabali as an epic tale of the Padma. Tagores famous poem Amader Chhoto Nadi (Our Small River) immaculately depicts a traditional Bangladeshi river with all its seasonal beauty; some say that the beautiful Padma was on the poets mind when he wrote this piece. Here, the poet shows not only the journey of a meandering shallow river, he paints a lively picture of the daily activities of people who sustain their lives from the river. Tagore wrote many songs, poems and essays where the river is the main theme. The semblance between rivers and human lives get emphasised in his compositions. Human beings have to overcome many obstacles in the passage of life, Tagore wanted to show this similarity between them and a flowing river. In his essay Tapaban, Tagores articulation clearly shows the close affinity between man and river. He calls the river the queen of water. In one of his writings (Prakriti Gitabitan), the poet lovingly says: You river, the queen of watersometimes you are serene and deepsometimes you are full to the brimsometimes like water of passionate eyes, sometimes you laugh while you pass through. In his poem Kule (The Bank), he says: On the bank of our river, there is no shore to bathe.here lies the endless river path. On the other hand, Tagore also mentions the purity and bounty of rivers in his works. Some are real and some are imaginary _ rivers such as Mayurakshi, Kopai, Ojay, Dhaleswari are thought provoking machinery which augmented his imagination and creativity. For Tagore, a river is not merely a river, it is a symbol of life; thus he painted the river with different hues of his poetic mind. In Shilaidaha, where Tagore passed his most creative days, the Padma influenced his mind immensely. In the letters of Chinapatrabali, the writer often mentioned the magical influence of the Padma, which seemed to engulf his whole entity. He confesses: I love the Padma River.While rowing in a boat on the Padma, it becomes a living personality to me. Romantic poets imbue personality into inanimate things; Tagore did it fascinatingly. The whole of nature was enlivened in his poetic works, and the river was the most prominent among his natural things. Regarding Tagores treatment of rivers, in the short essay Jiban O Brikkha (Life and Tree), essayist Motahar Hossain Choudhury says: In fact, Tagore thought differently. Comparing the blooming of flowers and the course of a river, he observed the similarity between humanity and the course of rivers. The blossoming of a flower is easy, but the course of a river is difficult, it has to suffer crossing through so many obstacles. The pain of humanity is so clearly evident that it is not as facile as the blooming of flowers. Tagore chooses the hard one, the difficult course of a river; thereby, the river becomes symbolic of human life. In his mystic poem Sonar Tori (Golden Boat), Tagore portrays the significance of existence of humanity. Though the river is not the prominent theme here, he related the river to the theme of the poem. The depiction of an abandoned river bank and the uncanny current of the river makes for macabre conditions; the poem is reminiscent of (Robert) Frosts poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening in its existential question, he continues. About Tagores concern for the environment, Choudhury concludes: Erosion is a crucial point of discussion in todays world, but astonishingly enough, Tagore thought of it a hundred years ago. Tagore showed his disquiet about river erosion in a speech, along with (Leonard Knight) Elmhirst, the Yorkshire-born director of Sriniketan and the Nobel Laureates ardent disciple, at a seminar in 1922. Tagore wanted to save not only rivers, but also other natural components that maintain the environmental equilibrium. In his excellent dramatic work, Muktadhara (Waterfall), Tagore highlighted his distaste for building an artificial dam to thwart the free flow of water. Tagore did not only see rivers from an aesthetic point of view, he was a visionary writer who consciously wanted to find rivers in their fresh, pure and natural condition, which is almost impossible now. Choked rivers are unable to survive manmade pollution and abuse. Photos: File