At The Tagore House In Kolkata!

I am at the entrance to the Jorasanko Thakur Bari. It is marked by a red arch, opening out into the busy Rabindra Sarani. It is a pleasant winter morning in Kolkata. People are trickling in slowly. Outside, it is a chaotic and noisy road with cars, autos, carts and rickshaws struggling to find their way among the throngs of pedestrians and hawkers. Once you enter the arch and walk the short road to the gate of the imposing house, you are transported to a bygone era. In Kolkata for a brief trip, I have been looking forward to visiting Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's house. Now at the doorstep, I am eager to see the place where he was born and where he breathed his last.

The elegant red house with a garden of trees and lush green lawns is like a tranquil oasis, amidst the cacophony of the world outside. Flowers of different hues add colour and charm to the garden. It is just the beginning of the day and there is no queue at the ticket booth. I buy my ticket for Rs. 20 which allows me entry into the house that contains the Rabindra Bharati Museum now. However, there is a separate ticket if one wishes to take pictures. I get it from the office for Rs. 50. This is good for taking pictures outside. Photography inside the museum is not permitted.

I walk around in the garden for some time and then make my way to the house. It  was built in the 18th century. It consists of large rooms that are well-lit and airy, with spacious verandas running along the length of the house. The high ceilings contribute to its grandeur. Tagore family comprised of affluent landlords and the house reflects the lifestyle of the rich in those days.

Footwear is not allowed inside the house so I leave mine in the passageway leading to the staircase. Upstairs, the chambers offer us a peek into the lives of the Nobel-laureate and his illustrious family. Many members of the family were proficient in some or other form of art. As a prolific painter, poet, writer, composer and dramatist, Gurudev was the embodiment of creativity in multiple disciplines.

The house has his robes neatly hung is glass cases on display. Some furniture, and his wife Mrinalini Devi's kitchen is also part of the display. Then there is a maternity room, used exclusively for deliveries in the family.  A detailed family tree of the Tagores is an interesting exhibit too. Photographs from his association with and visits to Japan and China occupy a large part of the galleries in the museum. Pictures from Shantiniketan where he is seen hosting eminent personalities are there too. Then there are several texts in Bengali script and a large number of reproductions of his paintings, neatly framed and hung across rooms and hallways. I regret not being able to read the script. Access to the second floor is closed so I miss seeing whatever is there.

Photos by Lata

Most of us are familiar with the images of Rabindranath wearing a long beard and flowing robes, but it is interesting to see pictures from his younger days in western clothes. He is tall, athletic, intense and aristocratic. One cannot help being overwhelmed with the sheer volume of his creative genius. Being at his ancestral home that nurtured his talent is nothing short of a pilgrimage!

What touches me most is the detailed account of his last days put up in neat frames in one of the verandas. These lines are poignant in particular:

When death comes and whispers to me 

"Thy days are numbered",

Let me say to him, "I have lived in love and not in mere time",

He will ask, "Will thy songs remain?"

I shall say, "I know not, but this I know

that often when I sang, I found my eternity."

-- Rabindranath Tagore