Tribute to the Bengal Bard: kobi pronam

Hey nuton, dekha dik aar bar..... Whenever 25 baisakh comes, this song echoes in my mind and soul and rejuvenates me from within. This day is considered to be an auspicious one, for on this day was born Tagore, whom words fail to describe- to me the most perfect man born yet in the whole world. He is the image of God, incarnation of Him, for his poetry, literature, lyric, thought, echoes His voice. I have not seen God, I have not heard his voice, but I have had the chance of coming across his literature, poetry of God himself. I consider myself fortunate enough to be born as a Bengali, for I had the chance to read Tagore, get the essence of his philosophy and humanism. I am really astonished by the fact that Britain rewarded Tagore with the Noble prize after reading one of his books- Gitanjali, So what would they do if they read Tagore as a whole? Well it remains an unresolved mystery.

Tagore's multifaceted talent made him a towering figure in the whole world: a poet, a novelist, an educationist, a social reformer, a painter, a musician, a philosopher, dramatist, a patriot, a linguist, a political scientist. It seems that no adjectives are left to define this genius. Every aspect of human life has been minutely captured by Tagore in his woks. Whenever I feel despondent and depressed, I always turn to Tagore's poems, and his magical hands uplift the veil of gloom from my mind and refills it with a positive vibe. The only man whom I consider as my Gurudev, my guide, my mentor, as he always guides me through the hazards of this material existence. The poet has eternally emptied himself in his literature.

This year marks his 150th birth anniversary. Whole of Kolkata is in a strange vigour to celebrate his birthday. But standing at this point a question always probes my mind- how much did we take from Tagore? How much did we inherit or learn from his ideas, his thoughts and his philosophy? We all celebrate and sing on the day of Rabindra Jayanti but most of us fail to secure the message that Tagore wanted to convey- the message of humanism, fellow feeling, brotherhood and love. My earnest request to all my countrymen and friends- let us not merely play the songs of Tagore, or enact his drama on stage, but let us embrace his principles, his message and his philosophy. The day we can do so, we will be able to turn our country into an utopian world. A HEARTY SALUTE TO THE GREATEST MAN BORN TILL DATE. TOMARE JANAI KOBI PRONAM......