Title: Rereading Tagore
Author: Amiya Dev
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Price: 450
Dev makes it extremely clear with his title that this book is not for those who are exploring Robindronath Thakur (Tagore) for the first time. As the author is doing it himself, he is asking his readers to go on a journey with him to rediscover Tagore or at least reconnect with one of the greatest thinkers of all time.
“Rereading Tagore” is not an opportunity for Dev to critically judge Tagore through his works. It is rather a eulogy addressed to someone whom the author is already in love with. The book makes it obvious how elaborately Dev has studied Tagore’s works. The former professor of Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University is clearly a Tagore fan-boy who, through this book, is trying to establish the subtleties that made Tagore a legend in the first place.
Then again, this book is clearly for those who have already read the most prominent works of Tagore. Those, who have no idea about the works Dev is writing about, may not find any interest in it. The reason is simple. They would not get the context, no matter how hard Dev tries.
This book is a collection of essays that Dev has written over the past decade. Each chapter discusses various categories of Tagore’s work. Given the amount of literature Tagore created across his lifetime, it’s unlikely for any author to cover it in one book. Dev does not try to do so either. He focuses on select pieces and analyzes those in detail instead. The book does not have to be read chronologically from start to finish. So, a reader is free to choose any random chapter and go through it. There is no obvious coherence among the chapters.
The most significant chapter, for me, is where Dev discusses “Char Adhyay.” The author finds this novel tremendously relevant in today’s times. As the novel moves around the not-so-beautiful facet of ideology, it discusses the “waste” of ideals. Tagore was not an admirer of the violent face of revolution. The idea of eliminating one innocent person for greater good must have tortured him inside.
Dev believes Tagore could have written a sequel to the novel if he was alive now. Today’s socio-political scenario, not only in India but also in almost every country around the world, demands a mirror that obliges the so-called revolutionaries to question themselves. Dev wrote the content of this particular chapter in 2007 and in 2011. Interestingly, politics around the world has become way more polarized since then. And, that merely makes “Char Adhyay” even more significant.
Dev’s analysis of “The Post Office” is another breezy read. The play that has won millions of hearts around the world remains enlightening because of its ability to invoke different emotions through individual interpretations. Tagore witnesses the 1921 production of the play in Berlin. Even though the interpretation was quite different from what Tagore had meant it to be, he still liked it. It simply shows how “The Post Office” means different things to different people. Some consider it deeply spiritual, with Amol waiting for the king’s letter. Many consider it the play a philosophical take on life and death. Above all, the brilliance lies in its simplicity. “The Post Office” remains an epiphanos in disguise, Dev points out.
Tagore received the Nobel for his poetic genius, and Dev dedicates a big part of his book to discuss poems and songs. He discusses Tagore’s affiliation to various themes to create his songs. Since Tagore did not worship any idols, his “puja” songs do not indicate so. When the poets talks about the lord in his poems and songs, he does not mean to address any common deity. Tagore’s deep regards for “sant poets” like Kabir and Nanak takes him away from institutionalized religion. Dev also finds the deep-rooted connection between Nature and Tagore’s poems.
I have only two grievances. Dev should have used phonetic spellings for Bengali words instead of using orthographic ones, especially if the book intends to target non-Bengali readers. Words like Buddhadeva, Chinnapatra and Mukta-dhara would not help readers understand the actual pronunciation of the words. I’d rather settle for Buddhodeb, Chhinno-pawtro and Mukto-dhaaraa.
Secondly, I would have liked the book even more if it had more balance. It would have been a bit more than a kind appreciation of Tagore’s works. If Dev showed even a hint of disagreement with Tagore on a few occasions, that would have made him more a critic and less a devotee.
