Tagore For You (English‪)‬

Rabindranath Tagore wrote with great abundance, even in English. And the present anthology of his English writings purposes to showcase almost the entire gamut. Apart, from the letters, most of the writings are translations. But even as he renders his own writings or Kabir’s into English, he transcreates. He writes mellifluously in English just as he does in Bengali, displaying the same confident strength of his genius, the same high norm of stylistic elegance and intellectual brilliance. Tagore’s English writings are, to quote D. H. Lawrence in a different context, “the perfect utterance of a concentrated, spontaneous soul”, although in a language not his own. His finest single achievement in English is his Gitanjali or Song-offerings which this collection includes. Tagore’s English Gitanjali evinces a sensibility of language animated by both a sense of compassion and artifice, taking us to the lofty rendezvous of the poet’s intense personal engagement with God. His supreme discourse on the Realization of the Infinite deeply penetrates into the quivering meaning of existence. “The Upanishads say: be lost together in Brahma like an arrow that has completely penetrated its target. Thus to be conscious of being absolutely enveloped by Brahma is not an act of mere concentration of mind. It must be the aim of the whole of our life. In all our thoughts, deeds we must be conscious of the infinite. Let the realization of this truth become easier everyday of our life, that none will live or move if the energy of the all-pervading joy did not fill the sky. In all our actions let us feel that impetus of the infinite energy and be glad”. As we can see, even in his English writings Rabindranath doesn’t let words run away with him. Far too good a craftsman for that, he chooses his words with immense care and displays his usual passionate intensity. And most of his English writings also have the characteristic mystic essence. However, no selection of Rabindranatn Tagore’s writings can be universally satisfactory. Differences of opinion will always be true. The writings in this volume have tried to cover the entire range, from the simple to the contemplative, from the dramatic to the narrative, from the passionate to the complex. And all through the volume, in whatever his is writing, he remains unwaveringly Rabindranath. Last but not the least; I would like to thank Sri Baridbaran Ghosh for his immense contribution to the book. It was truly an enriching experience to be associated with someone who has such vast knowledge on Tagore. I sincerely thank Sri Ranjan Banerjee for his crucial inputs which helped in shaping the book; my friends from Deep Prakashan—Sankar da and Diptangshu for their untiring efforts; my family members for their love and support and the wonderful Techno India Group family — my dear students, faculty and staff members, for being there with me at every step of the way. Satyam Roychowdhury