"Those were the days, my friend"

Bauls at Shanitiniketan. Photo: Dr Noazish Ahmed

Having worked as a teacher at the Fine Arts Department, DU, she was then working under Professor Kanchan Chakrabarty and Jayanti Chakrabarty. As she had always worked in the practical field, she had a lot of contacts with artists who came not only from Calcutta but beyond it, and other painters knew her through her work which had been exhibited just after she had graduated from Dhaka. As a PhD student Farida had painted to her heart's content under Bikash Bhattacharya, who would not only instruct her in the Shantiniketan classes but also come to guide Farida at her house.

Incidentally her husband, Shawkutazzman was doing his Masters there, and their children studied contentedly in the school for their levels there. Such were their experiences that even today, that Farida said that they could not possibly forget Shantiniketan. "What I liked most about the people there was their simple and unaffected manners and ways. The students there were so modern that they went about in slacks and yet were approachable by anybody and were ready to mix with one and all. There were no hang ups about the students there as they sat in the fields or lawns and went about with their work." Farida said that even teachers sometimes came to classes barefooted. Plucking flowers from the trees and bushes, and that they would simple put them in their hair, at times with unsurpassed innocence. They appeared, according to Farida, very close to nature so that her children and she feels even today that their experiences at Shantiniketan were indelible memories The ambiance was definitely a unique and unsurpassed in my experience," said Farida.

"Lalu Prashad Sahu, who was a teacher there, is an artist of great merit, on whom I was working, and about whom I required some old films, said Farida. On approaching him, he presented me with all the details about himself. When he couldn't find a particular photograph, he assured me that he would reach it to me himself the next day. However, the very day he came speeding on his bicycle and gave me the photo that I needed. The manner in which he'd helped was unforgettable. Dharmanaryan Das Gupta, who has, now passed away, who I'd once written to, had replied to my queries without any delay and sent me the paper cuttings of his portfolio that I required at Kola Bhaban. I was amazed at his alacrity even though he could have had the reservations about them getting spoilt. What he had kept uppermost in his mind was the fact that I needed help as quickly and completely as possible. Mira Mukherjee, a renowned sculptor, even though I couldn't ultimately include her in my research, and even though she was fairly aged in 1989, took the initiative and wrote to me that I could shortly meet her at Shantiniketan, said Farida.

When I asked her about the part that nature had played in her life at Shantiniketan and the type of food that was served there, she said, "Due to the fact that nature surrounded us wherever we went, we didn't suffer from the attitudes that city dwellers tend to do often. The way of dressing, as I spoke of earlier tended to be totally unaffected. I did not feel anyone different from those around me as many wore saris like myself. As there were many foreign students, many sported blouse and slacks for women." Foreign students there, said Farida, were doing research on various aspects of Rabindranath. The atmosphere of the Shantiniketan University was a universal one indeed, she said. "Overseas students sometimes stayed on for about 12 years, going back and forth to their homes in between and many loved the 'daal bhat' and 'maach' menu as 'epaar' and 'opaar' Bangal do not differ all that much; the non Bengalis there were naturally vegetarians.. However fish and meat were favourite dishes for some, said Farida.

About her experience of the festivals that were held there Farida said that at Shatineketan the biggest festival was 'Paush Mela' where Kolabhan, where she had studied, played a large part. Even Christmas is celebrated there in a big way as people of various religions, particularly those coming from overseas, come there, added Farida. "Again, these festivals were done in a very friendly and homely manner. There artists of renown come from all over the Subcontinent so that one can get the original works of famous artists there, at very low prices. Through this they create a fund for cultural efforts," Farida concluded.

Farida Zaman's days at Shantiniketan were surely days of fun despite the days of research that she had to put in and the deadlines she had to meet for her degree.