Saturday, June 16, 2012
Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday has always been celebrated by the Bengali community in Boston, in big ways and small. The Greater Boston area is home to some of the most culturally talented and musically gifted expatriates from the Indian sub-continent, and every year we observe Kobi Guru’s birthday through various parties, musical soirees, rallies, and cultural events. This year I attended three, one outdoor rally and two indoor gatherings, to commemorate his 151st birthday.
Preparations for these celebrations are part of the fun too for all involved. Artists gather at various locations for rehearsals, which often are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Devotees of Tagore come together from far-flung areas to offer their love and to immerse in his eternal legacy of rhyme, rhythm, and melody. For us, participating in any events, whether as observers or as performers, means being on the road constantly, since the towns surrounding Boston where the Bengali community live are very widely spread out, from Manchester, New Hampshire in the north to Providence, Rhode Island in the south.
Every year I try to attend some of them, but one can only do so much. The ghoroa gatherings are on a smaller scale, but allow for more intimate discussions of new happenings in the realm of Tagore songs, and exchange of ideas on his work. Boston happens to be a frequent stop for some of the well-known artistes from the subcontinent, including Rizwana Choudhury, Shounok Chatterjee (later cancelled), and Gayatree Sarma. Some of the indoor tributes were organized on May 5 and 19, by Anwar Kabir Rumi and Probashi, respectively.
Planning for Ponchishey Baisakh starts early, almost right after Ekushey, if not sooner. The Bengali speaking cultural groups active in Greater Boston don’t let the cold weather or their longing for their motherland stand in the way of welcoming the turn of the season, and get started for Pahela Baisakh and Rabindra Jayanti in quick succession. Spring officially started on March 21, but the weather has been spring-like since February this year. Because of a warmer than normal winter, we had a tail wind, so to speak, giving us an early start and the right spirit.
We kicked off the festivities with a small, intimate gathering in Easton, my home town, surrounded by the gifts of an early spring — flowers, birds, plants, and all other forms of life. One of the charms of this gathering on a nice Baishakhi afternoon was the deshi food which got us all in the right mood. The delectable food served at this gathering was home made, including khichuri and aloo bharta by Rumi, kabob on the grill by myself, mango bharta by Moon, and other delicacies brought by the attendees. Kazi Shahjahan led the chorus with “Esho hey Baishakh”, followed by some of our favorite Tagore songs and Nazrul Geeti. Mukta, a talented Nazrul Geeti singer, Tapas, Neeta, and Rumi all performed their favorite songs. Moon and I recited from Tagore’s poetry.
I attended two celebrations on May 20, a small one in neighboring Sharon in Sharif and Ratna’s house, and an open air rally organized by Swaralipi, a music school founded by Swapna Ray. Ratna cooked an exquisite menu for us, and after lunch we sat down in their living room for songs rendered by local artistes. While her school is located in suburban Sudbury, Swapna and her husband, Rahul, have been organizing an open air rally for the last three years at the Harvard Square T Station. This location, in the city of Cambridge and in the heart of Harvard University, has a number of advantages: access by underground (known as the T), a ready-made audience consisting of citizens from around the globe, and high visibility because of its location. On a personal level, my wife Rumi and I have a life-long attachment to the Harvard Square and its many landmarks: cinema, book stores, cafes, boutiques, and the cosmopolitan ambience.
The open-air concert started with a chorus led by Rahul, “aguner porosh moni”. We all joined Swapna’s students as they sang one song after another, including “ebar tor mora”, “aji Bangladesher hridoy”, and “gram chhara oi ranga mateer poth”. Rahul played the violin, Jewel the dhol, and Taposh had a harmonium slung around his neck. The onlookers, mostly Americans and tourists from around the globe, joined us and cheered us on. We all slung boards with Tagore’s pictures and poems pasted on them. The beautiful sunny day and the light breeze gave us a perfect day to spread the message of love, prayer and beauty espoused by Tagore to the rest of the world.