Indo American News

Tag: Rabindranath Tagore

  • Tagore’s Shanti Niketan is Reimagined in a Bayou City Setting

    Tagore’s Shanti Niketan is Reimagined in a Bayou City Setting

    BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA

    HOUSTON: It is a testament to the persuasive power of his philosophy of life and harmonious coexistence that Rabindranath Tagore is immortalized the world over in one manner or the other. In the Bayou City, his presence has been felt since 1974 when the Tagore Society of Houston was formed around the nucleus of a growing Bengali community that has since made its mark through other events and structures, chief among them the Durga Bari Temple in far west Houston.

    Every year there is an Annual Tagore Talk gathering with prominent speakers (this year it is on June 1 at India House). In 2013, the TSH along with the PfP Industries and Techno India Group created a Tagore Grove in Ray Miller Park (on Eldridge near Briar Forest) where a 76-inch tall bronze statue of Tagore on a pedestal graces down benevolently upon you.
    The two people behind PfP – Ruma and Asoke Acharya Deysarkar – had formed the Tagore Center Foundation when they pursued the statue project. But their love for Tagore and his vision of international peace and harmony went much further as five years later, in May 2018 – almost coinciding with Tagore’s birthdate – Asoke bought a 14.6-acre plot of land west of Dairy Ashford at Brantrock with the intention of building an ashram-like environment, modeled after Tagore’s residence Shanti Niketan near Kolkata.

    Both Ruma and Asoke are chemical engineers who have built very successful businesses for themselves after they settled in Houston. In 1998. Ruma founded a geotechnical services consulting firm – Ground Technology – and ran it for 20 years, eventually selling it last year, liberating herself to follow up on the personal project of the Deysarkar Family Trust Fund to build Shanti Niketan on the Bayou through the Tagore Center Foundation. Asoke founded PfP in 2003 and continues to run what is now listed in the Top 100 companies in Houston.

    The vision that the power couple had is now complete, and on Saturday, May 4, they unveiled it at a ground-breaking ceremony on a sunny morning after a heavy rainfall the night before. Nestled under a white tent under an azure sky, and in view of the golden geodesic domed meditation center a block away, the Deysarkars shared their vision with close friends and a few dignitaries like District F Councilman Steve Le and Dr. Anupam Ray, the Indian Consul General. Sanchali Basu, a close friend of the Deysarkars, was the emcee for the event that concluded with a box lunch from Hungry’s.

    The Tagore Center Foundation, will include an Early Education Development Center and an Adult Education Center. It will also include a Visual Arts Center, a Performing Arts center, an Open Air Auditorium, an Art Gallery and Fairgrounds. The site work for the roads and pad locations has been completed and the structure design is now being completed.

    “This Center will organize, promote and popularize educational, cultural, social and intellectual events celebrating diversity, intercultural harmony, raise awareness of the blend of Eastern and western culture,” said Ruma, adding, “the Center’s philosophy framed on Tagore’s concept of universal humanism, transcendental spirituality and a borderless world.” Asoke spoke briefly on the history of the project, Tagore’s relevance and his influence on Mahatma Gandhi.

    “What you see is a dream come true,” said chief guest Dr. Anupam Ray who did the ground breaking ceremony. He noted that he was due to leave this year for another posting and probably would not be able to visit the site again, and added that “This cultural monument is valuable to bind the world’s largest and oldest democracies.”
    Philamena Baird, past chairwoman of Houston Arts Alliance and advisory board member of TCF, said she was not familiar with Tagore before but had read up on him and was awestruck how accomplished he was. “He represented humanity and dreamed of universal humanity,” she said.

  • On the Relevance of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the New Millenium

    On the Relevance of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the New Millenium

    Tagore Society of Houston members gather before the statue of Rabindranath Tagore in Hermann Park.

    HOUSTON: Each year the world celebrates Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday in the month of May, with a vigor that speaks volumes about the famous son of India and the vision that he embodied. Question that automatically arises to the common mind is why do we celebrate such a personality? Psychologist Abraham Maslow says in his extended pyramid of human needs that man has “transcendence needs” at the highest order of needs. Tagore’s poetry seems to give man a peek into that territory of sublime surrender to the universe. His poetry explores every emotion that man can possibly have and sings to it.

    But is he still relevant after being the Asia’s first Nobel Laureate (in the year 1913) for essentially condensing the thoughts of Upanishads in an anthology called “Gitanjali”? So what Gandhiji called him “Gurudev”? So what he renounced Kinghthood in protest of Jalianwalabagh massacre 100 years back? So what he he founded a university singlehandedly by pulling all the sharpest creative minds from across the globe? So what he has the unique distinction of composing two national anthems? So what he finds avid fans among the finest intellectuals through ages (such as Einstein, Yates, Gandhi, Helen Keller, Satyajit Ray, Audrey Hepburn, Sean Penn, Deepak Chopra, Shilla Jasenoff, Eric Weiner and many more)? So what liberal arts departments of top-notch universities across the globe still stage dramas written by him? So what his paintings still get auctioned highest in London and Paris?

    Is reading Tagore in the 21st century a reasonable thought? Is he relevant in today’s fast paced, tech savvy satellite connected world? Why do find that new editions of “Gitanjali”, first published in 1912 are still printed internationally in numerous languages, and read heavily by people of all generations.? Why are there Tagore statues and busts in various countries and universities. Roads, universities, boulevards, and squares are named after him. Postal administration of many countries issued stamps dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore. Why has he always been referred to as a genius during his times and years later? What makes Tagore a genius who we revere and how much of Tagore do we really understand? What deeper issues does he address? Questions prompt the readers to go back and read his poetry, essay, novels, plays and find the deeper vibrations of his writings that resonates with all.

    The answer to all the above and many more lies in the fact that Tagore was a Myriad Minded Man (Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson (2000)). An educational, social, religious reformer, a creative powerhouse and above all a lover of nature and humanity. Through his writings he always wanted to explore and express the eternal Truth of human life. He believed every action in this world led to the understanding of the deeper purpose of our lives, i.e. the union of man and the universe. He was an exemplary leader who taught us through his own life and his creations on how to be aligned with the nature. Whether it is a discussion on quantum physics and the nature of reality with Albert Einstein or his political dialogues with Mahatma Gandhi, he had a very clear vision of man’s role in this universe.

    His thought of “unity through diversity” was unique and embraced and accepted all. It was not only a rhetoric to accept the vast diversities in human creed but the diverse nature that stands united in its show. This is a key evergreen ever relevant mantra for all. His vision of “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where the knowledge is free, where the world is not broken up in fragments by narrow domestic walls…” is still a dream by mankind in the 21st century. He said “Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity.” Here lies his relevance.