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Monday, Aug 09, 2004

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Tagore's summer retreat in a shambles

Mongpoo, Darjeeling, Aug. 8. The criss-crossing lines on the forehead of the wizened old caretaker of Rabindra Bhawan here seem to sum up the state of affairs at the Nobel laureate's favourite getaways in the Himalayas.

While Rabindranath Tagore was remembered throughout the country on his 63rd death anniversary yesterday, there was no one to light a candle in his memory at his bungalow where he had composed `janmadin', a poem, on his 79th birthday in 1940.

Located at an altitude of 5000 feet, the bungalow now remains a picture of neglect with termites having eaten into the wooden floors and colours peeling off the walls.

Between 1938 to 1940, the poet had stayed in the house four times at the request of litterateur Maytree Devi.

"Gurudev celebrated his 79th birthday here with the residents of the locality with great fanfare and we were all invited," recalled Kharga Bahadur, the 80-year-old caretaker of Rabindra Bhavan.

Bahudur was only seventeen when the poet came to stay at the bungalow.

Now almost frail and doddering, he remembers accompanying the poet on a wheelchair during his evening outings.

"During his first visit in 1938, Gurudev stayed at the Suren Bhawan, which was burnt down during the Gorkhaland agitation in late eighties," he said.

The bungalow, which belonged to West Bengal owned Cinchona plantation company, has been converted into a museum.

Among the many things used by the poet on display here are a British made colour box, brushes, a mural painted by the poet, a specially made wooden cot so that poet could rest in inclining position, a table and chair and some of the photographs taken by the poet himself.

Although the State Government had spent a considerable sum to renovate the house and turn into a museum in 2000, the wooden floors have started to crumble.

"One has to tread cautiously on the floor lest it collapses under the impact," said Sisir Routh, one of four attendants of the museum.

He said the money the museum earns from the sale of tickets to the visitors is inadequate for its upkeep. The chemist department of the cinchona plantation, which is already in the red, looks after the affairs of the bungalow. "Their are four guards who double up as guides when there are visitors," he said.

But visitors are hard to come by because of its remote location. Only North Bengal Transport Corporation runs a bus from Siliguri which returns the same day.

The poet used to be carried in a palanquin from Rimbi, about ten kms from here near Teesta during his journey to Mongpoo.

However, some tour operators in Darjeeling are drawing up plans to turn the place into a tourist spot.

Senior project officer of World Wide Fund for nature, Pravat Rana said since Mongpoo was a place of historical importance, the area could be developed with the help of tour operators.

The poet during his stay had composed `Chele Bela', `Nava Jathak', `Shesh-khata', `Giribas', `Sanai' and `Akash Pradip' and `Janmadin'. The bungalow also has a collection of Tagore's handwritten notes with his sketches.

UNI

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Tagore's summer retreat in a shambles