This being the month of Tagore's birth anniversary, here is An anecdote.
When Robi was about 5 years old, his meals, along with that of his elder brother Som and cousin, Satya, were the responsibility of a wily old servant called Ishwar. Though the servant would be given a lot of food for the boys' meals, he would often filch their milk or luchis. He was given money to buy their evening snacks. When Ishwar would ask them what he should buy for them, the elder boys would have the courage to ask for sweets or some other expensive snacks. When little Robi was asked his preference, he would say, 'Puffed rice and gram' which was the cheapest. Even though he would remain hungry, Robi could not bear the half-pleading and half-threatening look the old servant gave him. Needless to mention, while Robi would quietly go hungry, Ishwar would eat his fill with the money left over from Robi's share. It was during this time that his eldest sister-in-law discovered a note in Robi's hand flying around on the floor of their study room with this verse penned on it:Aam satwa dudhe pheli translated..
A mango sheet I drop in milk I mash a banana and put it in A lump of sandesh mixed therein Hapus! Hapus! The sound of gulps Breaks the silence all around An ant crawls weeping by...
Well! Knowing the facts, you can guess who is 'I' and who the 'ant' is in the above verse. The credit for the translation of this very popular and well known children's poem by Tagore goes to Aruna Chakravarti from her book "Jorasanko". It is recited so often to children but its probable reference to Tagore's life, I found so very poignant.
Copyright@Sutapa Basu. All rights reserved.
