Tagore And The Ties Of Brotherhood

Anindita Mazumder

Rakshabandhan is a festival celebrated by sisters who pray for the wellbeing of their brothers while tying colourful strings on their wrists on the day of full moon in the month of Shravan. Rabindranath Tagore, however, invested this rite with rare beauty and poetic imagination when he appealed to the protesting people of Bengal against Lord Curzon’s plan to partition the province, tying rakhis on each other as a symbol of brotherhood and unity. The day was October 16, 1905 when this unique protest took place.

Soon after the plans to partition Bengal were revealed, there was quite a great upheaval throughout the province and elsewhere too and for the first time the protest was not limited to only the intellectual section of the society but touched the lives of the common man and even the women confined to the interior-most quarters.

Undoubtedly, Rabindranath Tagore was the most vivid personality of those stirring times, participating in the rough and tumble of politics as never before and even after. He not only delivered rousing speeches, composed patriotic songs but infused the entire movement with his poetic vision putting forward the suggestion to observe Rakhi-Bandhan on the day of partitioning of Bengal. The leaders accepted his idea and from October 11 onwards every issue of the Bengalee carried an appeal for exchange of rakhis on October 16, irrespective of caste and creed. Bengal, particularly, Calcutta witnessed truly memorable scenes of fraternisation and even the Muslims from all walks of society were drawn in.

We get a wonderful account from Tagore’s nephew Abanindranath of that historic day. He vividly described the day; Tagore had instructed everybody to travel on foot to the nearby Jagannath Ghat where they would take a dip in the Holy Ganges and then tie rakhis. A huge number of rakhis were taken along for the purpose. As they walked barefoot (a sign of mourning), people flocked on both sides of the road and many more watched the procession even from balconies of the adjoining houses; and the women blew conches. “It appeared to be a grand procession and Dinu (Dinendranath Thakur) was with us. The procession continued while singing Banglar maati Banglar jal, composed for the occasion,” wrote Abanindranath. Once procession reached the ghat, a huge crowd was waiting to catch a glimpse of Tagore. Following a dip in the river rakhis were tied on the wrists of those assembled. On the return journey Tagore did something unexpected. As they approached the residence of Biru Mullick at Pathurighata he rushed to the Muslim grooms in the stables and tied rakhis even as others stood apprehensively wondering whether a ruckus would follow soon.  But to their astonishment, Tagore embraced the grooms sending out the message of brotherhood. He then proceeded to Nakhoda Masjid in Chitpore where rakhis were tied on the wrists of the Maulvis as well (An apprehensive Abanindranath though made a comical escape). Even the so called lowly police constables and the others were not left out. The day was observed as arandhan (abstaining from lighting kitchen fire) by the women in the family. His appeal had truly moved his countrymen for Tagore received a number of rakhis from the women, from far and wide, according to Abanindranath. The police also kept an eye on him and his activities regularly paying visits, particularly when meetings or deliberations were held.

Thus nationalism acquired a mystic tone, and the sanctions and forms of traditional Hinduism became a way of establishing contact with the uneducated masses. Even after 1905 the day continued to be marked by the same rite even if the fervour diminished somewhat till India became free.

Rakhi-Purnima, however, continued to be a significant day in Tagore’s life. His daughter-in-law, Protima Devi reminisced the night before his death. It was the night of full moon and as it glowed like a golden orb but the moon of the poet’s life was on the wane and finally, the next morning he breathed his last. It was August 7 (22 Shravan) when people once again came out of their houses and took to the streets and pay their last tribute to the man of rare vision and poetic ability.