Bengal Legislative Assembly homage to Rabindranath Tagore
Reproduced below are some of the deliberations and the resolution as adopted in the BLA.
AK Fazlul Haque, first Prime Minister of Bengal and Leader of the House:
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Sir, with due leave and leave to the House, I beg to move a resolution on the sad demise of Rabindranath Tagore. Mr. Speaker, sir, it is not an easy task to pay a tribute in words to the memory of Rabindranath Tagore.
"During the last few days men and women all over the world have tried to pay their tributes of love, homage and respect to the memory of the great departed, and he cannot but at once see the versatility and the personality of Rabindranath when he finds that people in distant parts of the world have had something to say, something to emphasize, the point that stands at prominently in the character of Rabindranath.
"Speaking as a Bengalee, belonging to the province which gave Rabindranath birth, speaking the very language which Rabindranath spoke, it is impossible to lose sight of the fact that the great man, who earned for the Bengali literature one of the highest positions in the languages and literatures of the world, is no more with us, and that all that now lives are his works enshrined not merely in books but in the hearts of millions of his countrymen.
"Sir, I am reminded at the present moment of those beautiful lines of Tennyson referring to the death of his friend whom he has immortalized in his "In Memoriam." We can truly say with the great poet: 'We feel it almost half a sin to put in words the grief we feel, for words like nature half reveal and half conceal the sorrow within.'
"It is not enough to say that he was great. He was great as a poet, he was great as a philosopher, he was great as an educationist, he was great as a humanitarian, he was great in his songs, and the whole world knows that he could not merely write poetry but he lived poetry throughout his life He has actually made it a problem with us.
"His realities of life are realities when poetry itself is a reality and when all is said and done we feel as Bengalees that we never knew when he was with us what he was, not merely to Bengal, not merely to the whole of India, but to the whole of cultured humanity all over the world.
"I leave it to others who can express better what we all feel on the side of the House and I hope that the few words which I have been privileged to speak on this occasion will be taken to be indicative of our deep sense of sorrow not as individuals, not as members of a community but as members of the great Bengalee race.
"We are proud today to have had in our midst someone like Rabindranath who belongs to the whole world. Regardless of his physical presence or absence the whole of the cultured humanity readily pays homage to this great soul."
Mr. Sarat Chandra Bose, Leader of the Opposition:
"Sir, I have listened to the tribute which was paid to his memory by the Hon'ble Leader of the House and I shall only add, attempt to add, a few words of my own. Sir, Rabindranath was a Bengali, we are proud that he belonged to Bengal, and in this connection may I repeat what I had occasion to say a few days ago: Through him the voice and spirit of Bengal spoke to the wide world; and the coming ages will recognize him as the prophet from Bengal; through him Bengali soul rose to the sublime heights of universalism.
"I desire to add one word more. If Rabindranath was great as a patriot he was greater as an internationalist; he dreamt the dreams of a freer world; he dreamt the dreams of the parliament of man, the federation of the world, And no greater respect can be paid to his memory than if we are able to contribute our share to the creation of the parliament of man, the federation of the world of which he dreamt."
Mr. Kiran Shankar Roy, MLA from Dacca:
"Sir, this is not the time or the place nor am I competent to appraise the value of Rabindranath's contribution to the world of thought and literature but undoubtedly he was the greatest lyrical poet of his time, perhaps, of all ages. Human moods, human longings, love, sorrow, joy, ecstasy, heart-ache in all its variations never found more exquisite expression as in his poems. But he more than that. He was a great philosopher, a great composer of songs, a great patriot without the narrow bitterness of nationalism- a seer.a visionary poet ,a mystic ... perhaps once in a thousand years comes a man through whom an entire nation expresses itself.
"Such was Vyasa and Valmiki in ancient India, such was Homer in Greece, Virgil in Rome, Dante in Catholic Italy and in modern times Goethe in Germany and Toistoy in Russia, and such was Rabindranath in India The country expressed Her dreams and aspirations, Her ancient wisdom as well as Her modern quest , Her contemplative stillness and Her urge towards dynamism.
"In short, Rabindranath Tagore found a perfect synthesis between Beauty and Truth which reconciles all pairs of opposites. Sir, it is a matter of great and special pride to us that Rabindranath, though a world citizen belonging to all countries and all times was also a Bangalee.
"It would not be human if we Bangalees did not feel this, at least on this day of our sorrow. Who wouldn't agree that the soft sky of Bengal is softer, the groves and meadows more green, the sun is more golden, the moonlit night more silvery, the south-wind more wistful and the waters in the rivers sweeter because of the magic spell this great alchemist cast on this soil?"
The Hon'ble Sir Muhammad Azizul Haque, Speaker of the House:
"Before I place the resolution for your acceptance, may I add my own humble tribute to the memory of Rabindranath Tagore. For over half a century and more he has not merely lived in this province or with the country, but with the whole world. An embodiment of the deepest and intense national feelings, he has kept himself in the forefront of the ideas which may be called international, and I believe I am giving expression to the feelings of all when I say that after his death the world culture and humanity are poorer today. He was a man who walked with kings and yet never felt out of touch with the commoner."
The resolution, placed before the House, by Leader of the House, Prime Minister AK Fazlul Haque, and read out by the Speaker Sir Muhammad Azizul Haque:
"The Assembly records its deep sense of grief at the passing away of Dr. Rabindranath Tagore. Not only Bengal or India but the whole world has suffered an irreparable loss after the death of this noble son of Bengal whose contribution to civilization was immense. And the quality of his genius had earned both for himself and his country an honoured place in the community of nations.
"As a poet, he provided joy, solace and inspiration to millions and as a humanitarian he earned the love of all mankind. This House conveys its profoundest respect to Mr. Rathindranath Tagore and his relatives and mourns with the rest of India the loss of the great departed."