32

Chapter II

Sangit Bhavana and Rabindranath’s Vision

We can conclude from the previous Chapter that the British education

system was job-oriented and totally unmatched for the Indian System

of living. This Education System had unsurprisingly no place for Indian

music and arts. Besides, the association with the courtesans altogether

diminished music as a form of art. Music demanded an All-India level

renaissance. This need was fulfilled by many contemporaries of

Rabindranath outside Bengal who were maestros, reformers and

musicians in their own regard. Some well-known names worth-

mentioning in this respect are Pandit Bhatkhnade (1860-1936) and

Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931). Both of these musical-

reformers were contemporaries of Rabindranath and helped establish

music in the main stream of education by setting schools and

introducing music in the educational institutions in other parts of India,

apart from Bengal.

Pandit Bhatkhande’s music school, “Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyapeeth”

(Previously ‘Marris Music College’) of Lucknow is renowned and has

many Acharyas of Sangit Bhavana as its well-groomed students. This

way Sangit Bhavana owes a lot to Pandit Bhatkhande. Rabindranath,

himself was an ardent admirer of Pandit Bhatkhande and personally

wished to have his teachers of Sangit Bhavana trained from the latter’s

33

Music School. Pandit Bhatkhande too recognized and cherished the

love he received from the people of Bengal. Once he regretted after

receiving an admiring letter from a Bengali saying only if this way he

could have received acknowledgment from his own people. He had to

face quite a lot of opposition from his own home-state people.

Perhaps it’s a part and parcel of the game that any person wanting

change and working for cultural or social upliftment has to face quite a

lot of rebel by his own people. Rabindranath too, was not an exception

in this regard.

“Rabindranath’s experiments with the art of Dance at Santiniketan

were initially received with outright opposition and criticism from the

then existing orthodox society. A few excerpts from the then published

articles in some newspapers which elucidate this fact are mentioned as

follows:

In ‘Sanjivani’ daily, the issue of 12 Magh 1334, it was published, “Those

who should be revered as mothers and sisters have been brought on

the stage to dance. We should be ashamed of ourselves.” More was

written in the same newspaper, on the presentation of ‘Natirpuja’ at

Santiniketan, “Some days have passed when Sriyukta Rabindranath

Tagore has earned money from the Dance of renowned painter

Nandalal Basu’s daughter….Through this act, he has misguided the

lavishness of the rich and given them a message that one can earn

more money by bringing women on the stage…Visva-Bharati and

Sangeet Vidyalaya should go to hell rather than earning money in this

way.”

34

Another excerpt from the same daily says, “Sriyukta Rabindranath has

grown old but his sensuality remains ‘green’. It is being said that he has

started a dance-class for women. In one of his documentaries, there is a

scene where he is sitting amidst dancing girls, while he is giving beat

and another table-player is accompanying from far behind…What kind

of education Rabindranath is giving to simple, innocent girls who are

unaware of the world.””1

Pandit Bhatkhande is also known as a great patriot and a devoted

follower of the National Language. Once, someone told him to translate

his works into English, to this his reply was, “Will an English ever

translate his works into Hindi for our convenience? If someone wishes

to read my books let him first learn the Language!”

Pandit V.D.Paluskar established Gandharva Mahavidyalaya at Lahore in

the year 1901, the same year of Rabindranath’s establishment of the

Brahmacharya Ashram at Santiniketan. Later he extended the branches

of the school till Bombay and Nagpur.

Sangit Bhavana in a gross form originated after many years. The

obscure reasons behind its formation and an all-round development

may be majorly categorized as follows:

1) Bengal’s musical background

a) Different Gharanas of Indian Classical Music

b) Different Folk-Styles

2) Rabindranath’s own family background

a) Influential siblings

b) Musicians and Maestros visiting Thakurbadi

35

c) Various involvements (Religious, Literary and Political etc.) of the

family promoting musical-participation

3) Western Influences on the Thakurbadi of Jorasanko

A brief analysis of these grounds is as follows:

1) Bengal’s Musical Background

a) Different Gharanas of Indian Classical Music

Artists belonging to various schools of singing known as ‘Gharana’

participated as a matter of honor in the cultural celebration at the

House of Tagore’s. These gharanas of Bengal shaped and tailored the

music of Rabindranath since as a child he had the opportunity to listen

to almost every maestro of the various gharanas of Indian Classical

music. These gharanas have even influenced Sangit Bhavana through

the various Acharyas who belonged to some or the other disciple of the

chief lineage of the gharana. The various gharanas of vocal and

instrumental music that influenced the music culture of Bengal were:

1. Bishnupur Gharana

2. Seni-Ghanrana

3. Gwalior-Gharana

4. Mishras of Banaras Gharana and Prassadu-Manohar Gharana.

5. Fatehpur Sikri –Gharana

6. Betia-Gharana

7. Rampur-Gharana

8. Sehaswana-Gharana

9. Agra-Gharana

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10. Udaipur-Gharana

11. Punjab-Gharana

12. Kirana-Gharana

13. Secundarabad Vocalists

14. Dhaka Vocalists

15. Pandit Bhatkhande’s Vocalists

Among these Gharanas, it was Bishnupur-Gharana that was majorly

instrumental in shaping up the ambience of Indian Classical Music of

Bengal; which in turn influenced the musical history of Sangeet

Bhavana, Visva-Bharati. However the other gharanas were also more or

less related to Bishnupur and with each other. Many artists from these

gharanas performed at the Jorasanko Thakurbadi and some even

coached its members with their unusual skills and knowledge. An

outline of various gharanas will ultimately facilitate in articulating the

atmosphere of Sangeet Bhavan.

An excerpt from Chhaya Chatterjee’s ‘Sastriya Sangeet and Music

Culture of Bengal through the Ages’ provides the history of making of

the capital of ‘Vishnupur’ due to the various political successions which

lay the foundation-stone of music in its realm:

“The history of Bishnupur Gharana began as early as 7th

century A.D

when Mallabhuma ws established by Adi Malla Raghunath who became

a favorite of Raja Narsimhadva of Pradyumnapur. Nrsimhadeva

awarded Adi Malla a certain area where he was recognized as the raja.

Gradually, he conquered the adjacent areas and the portion lying

between Orissa and Radha ( Vrajbhumi). This whole area was

37

recognized as Mallabhuma or the kingdom of Vishnupur. The Malla

dynasty ruled over this extensive land of Western Bengal for centuries

as independent rulers. Adi Malla’s son Jayamalla conquered

Pradyumnapur and made it his own capital from where several

generations ruled. The 20th

Malla king Jagat Malla shifted his capital

from Pradyumnapur to Vishnupur and built the new capital, which lay

along the only main road from North India to Puri-Jagannath.

Vishnupur became a seat of music due to music loving Kings who were

patrons of this art. Among the many Malla Kings, Shiv Singha was

especially keen on music. After him, the next name worth-mentioning is

that of Bir Hambir, who was a contemporary of Akbar. He became a

Vaisnava and during his reign Kirtana became one of the most popular

styles practiced throughout Mallabhuma. Several Vaisnava padakartas

hailed from this area- particularly Srinivasa Acharya, who was the King’s

Guru. Bir Hambir was himself a composer of songs and padavalis which

enriched Vaisnava literature and music. He was called Sri Chaitanyadasa

by Jiva Goswami.

To trace the Classical music practiced here, one finds that Vishnupur

enjoyed the local styles from time immemorial. Musicians like Luipada,

Chandidasa and many others hailed from Mallabhuma. With the advent

of Vaisnavism, Kirtana became widely practiced. Many mahajanas and

padakartas belonged to this area. About two hundred years back,

Vishnupur not only enjoyed folk and kirtana styles along with Raga-

Sangeeta but some Karnataka-Ritis were also prevalent. Shastriya

Sangeet of Drupada and Khayal styles came during the reign of

38

Chaitanya Singha (1742-1802) and his successors Madhav Singh (1802-

1808) and Gopal Singh (1813-1876).”2

According to popular belief, Vishnupur gharana was established by

Bahadur Khan Seni, who came to Vishnupur at the invitation of Raja

Raghunath Singh II, at the end of the 16th

century.

Ramshankar Bhattacharya (1761) was the adi-guru of the dhrupad

gharana of Vishnupur. It is believed that a great Vaishnava dhrupadi

hailing from Mathura-Vrindavan , taught the special technique of

dhrupad to Ramshankar. This technique is the uniqueness of this

gharana. He is remembered as a great Acharaya;the prominent

amongst his disciples are Ramkeshab Bhattacharaya (His own son),

Kshetramohan Goswami (Thakurbadi’s music-tutor), Dinabandhu

Goswami and Jadu Bhatt (Another famous Thakurbadi’s music-tutor).

The names of Kshetramohan Goswami and Jadu Bhatt are of special

importance since these maestros influenced the music ambience of

both the Thakurbadi’s (Pathuriaghata and Jorasanko) and further

developing the musical faculty and vision of Rabindranath as a whole.

b) Different Folk Styles

Bengal has been rich in its folk-heritage parallel to the classical

heritage.

The various forms of folk-music, theatre and literature have been

from time immemorial enriching the lives of rural as well as urban

populace. The folk-genres popular among the people of Bengal are

Bhatiali, Jhumur, Baul, Jatra, Panchali etc.

39

As is popularly known, the folk and classical elements mutually

inspire and enrich each other while on their destined path towards

growth and development. In Bengal also, these folk components of

music, dance and theatre inspired many Classical compositions with

their earthy literature and music.

Rabindranath uniquely absorbed the folk-element of music of

Bengal and created timeless compositions. A few folk genres have

been analyzed in short for an all-inclusive portrait of the cultural

scenario of Bengal which influenced Rabindranath.

Jatra, form of folk-opera of Bengal gave birth to novel concepts of

music, dance and theatre. Even the origin of Natya Sangit of Bengal

may be traced back to the music of Jatra, which was the most

popular mode of entertainment of rural Bengal consisting of music

and acting based on episodes from the Epics and Puranas. These

Jatras were performed on open-air stages and music used to be the

life of them. At that time, a play or act of Jatras was unthinkable

without songs and the success of a play depended on its songs,

particularly for its lyrical and musical merit, which was realized by

the then playwright.

A Jatra used to be a geeta-pradhan (dominated by songs) narrative.

The songs of the Jatras were Raga and Tala based and sometimes

Kirtana based, as the situation demanded. The performers had to be

trained in Shastriya Sangeet and the Adhikari (Director of Jatra)

himself used to be a musician, both a vocalist and an

instrumentalist. These Raga-based songs were rendered with

40

adequate emotional fervor and as such specific Ragas were chosen

to bring forth the elements of the songs. Sometimes slight alapchari

used to a part of the rendition also.

The transition to theatre culture and operas came about with the

Europeans settling down in Calcutta and around the mid-18th

century. In 1795, Lebedeff, A Russian, staged some English plays

translated into Bengali. He set up a theatre hall in Domtala area of

Calcutta and not only got the plays translated by a Bengali named

Goloknath Das but also took Bengali actors and actresses to play the

roles. Thus, he initiated the Bengalis into the culture of theatre

acting.

The three stage arts i.e., Jatras, Natakas and Gitinatyas were closely

linked with each other. While Jatra was a rural art form, the other

two were more sophisticated and recent, built upon Western

influence. But songs predominated all the three, to the extent that it

was difficult to differentiate one from the other. The intellectuals

started staging plays disgusted by the crudity of the Jatras but still

maintained the importance of songs and music.

Gitinatyas evolved out of the Jatras and Natakas on the model of

Italian operas. These were written by many eminent playwrights and

poet-lyricists as Amritlal Mukhopadhyay, Swarna Kumari Devi

Jyotirindranath, and Rabindranath etc.

41

2) Rabindranath’s own family background

a) Influential Kin

The musical background of Rabindranath was one of the key factors

behind his inclination towards music and later introduction of music in

the main stream of education. Professor Arnold Bake from Holland,

one of the first foreign students of the Visva-Bharati, observes:

“The awakening of national consciousness that entailed a new

appreciation of India’s own culture naturally gave an impetus to a new

appreciation of music. One of the pioneers of this movement was a

relative of Rabindranath, Sir Sourindramohan Tagore. In

Rabindranath’s parental home Indian Classical music was fostered and

executed by the best singers of those days.

Thus young Rabindranath imbibed the intricacies of the system from his

early childhood and many a times passed days together with his

brother in a little boat on the river singing and changing the melodies

according to the changing time of the day in the way prescribed by the

old system, that had evolved a subtle theory of cosmic harmony

between the moods expressed in its ragas and raginis and the periods

of day and night.”

As is mentioned previously, there was mutual exchange of cultures

between Thakurbadi (Both the Thakuriaghata and Pathuriaghata Badi’s)

and Bengal and in the process both enriched each other. The musical

background of Rabindranath’s own family along with that of Bengal,

both contributed in the formation of a well-developed melodious

42

component of Rabindranath’s dream-school, which today is known as

‘Sangit Bhavana’.

In a nut shell, the historical and cultural background of Rabindranath’s

family is as follows:

Rabindranath’s grand-father Prince Dwarkanath Thakur and his family

members of two generations helped Bengal to thrive under the

directions of this great family and its close associates of intellectuals.

According to popular opinion Thakur family started from Jagannath

Kusari, a Brahmnin who came away from Jessore-Khulna area to

Gobindpur. He settled down there, and as the only Brahmin, was

revered as Thakur-masai (Term for showing revereance) by the local

people of other castes. From Thakur-masai he became Thakur and the

English merchants pronounced it as Tagore. Jagannath was associated

with the English because he used to supply merchandise to ships run by

the English. Nilmani Thakur, his son became ‘Dewan’ of the East India

Company and got a good job in the collectorate of Orissa and earned

enormous wealth. First, he built a house in Pathuriaghata, but moved

to a new house in Jorasanko, because of family differences with his

brother Darpanarayan.

Prince Dwarkanath Thakur was the son of Ramamani Thakur and at the

age of four was adopted by his eldest uncle Ramalochana Thakur who

was one of the most able and richest businessmen of those times of

Calcutta. Prince Dwarkanath was the first person who earned great

respect from the English and the first Indian to receive the title ‘Justice

of Peace’ for his generous nature.

43

Prince Dwarkanath (Title ‘Prince’ was associated with him for his lavish

living) was a good patron of music like his father, Ramalochana, besides

being a musician and musicologist himself. ‘Belgachia Villa’ was one of

the venues built for the purpose of entertainment. Best nautch girls

and Ustads were invited to perform in the musical soirees organized by

Prince Dwarkanath where English officials of the highest ranks and their

ladies were invited.

Dwarkanath learnt Western music from German musician. He was also

very fond of Italian and French music which he studied thoroughly. Max

Muller used to accompany him on the piano while Dwarkanath sang

Western songs. Dwarkanath could sing Persian gazals which he sang

while playing the piano himself. Apart from piano, Dwarkanath

imported one organ from Europe. He not only studied European and

Indian Classical Music, but was a good singer himself. His taste and

aptitude for both the classical forms were inherited by his sons,

grandchildren and great grandchildren. He died in London in the year

1846 and was buried in a cemetery in the outskirts of London called

Kensal Green with great honor.

Devendranath, his son was quite opposite in nature. As his father lived

like a ‘badshah’(Emperor), Debendranath lived like a ‘darbesh’ (Fakir).

In the year 1843, Devendranath embraced Brahma-dharama and after

the demise of Raja Rammohun Roy, worked tirelessly for its cause. He

introduced upasana (Worship) and singing devotional music during

prayer meetings apart from chanting Shlokas from the Upanishads.

Compositon of Brahma-Sangeet was introduced by Rammohun Roy but

44

it was enhanced and made into a form of Uchchang-Sangeet meaning

Shastriya base Sangeet mostly on dhrupad style by Maharshi

Devendranath and his sons.

Devendranath was very keen on pure Indian Classical music. Although

he was formally trained in Western music on piano, he was much

attatched to Indian Classical music. He appointed Jadu Bhatt, Radhika

Prasad Goswami, Shyam Sunder Mishra, and Bishnu Chakravarty as

music gurus at different periods. He also patronized other musicians

who came to stay at the Thakurbadi and performed. Famous among

them were Ramapati Bandopadhyay, Rajchandra Roy (Pakhawaj)

brother of Matibabu, the zamindar of Santipur, Maula Baksh of

Vadodara and others.

The songs of upasana known as Braham-Sangeet were sung by Bishnu

Chakravarty or Jadu Bhatt which were based on dhrupad, dhamar or

pure classical music.Maharshi’s sons, daughters and grand children

were all master composers of padas carrying literary and devotional

significance.

Maharshi Devendranath died on 19th

May 1905.

Rabindranath’s musical life was majorly influenced by few of his elder

brothers. Some of the most influential kin besides other members ,

who held a prominent place in the life of Rabindranath were

Dwijendranath Tagore, Hemendranath Tagore, Jyotirindranath Tagore,

Rabindranath’s nieces Indira Devi, Pratibha Devi, Sarla Devi. A few lines

about these members call for mention.

45

In shaping up his younger brothers and sisters, Dwijendranath,

Maharishi’s eldest son, shared almost as much responsibility as his

father. Dwijendranath was expert in playing organ, piano, Western

Flute and harmonium. He invented the Kasi-Matrik-Svarlipi. In this

simple system dash is used to denote matra. He died in Santiniketan in

Jan 1926.

Satyendranath, the second son of Maharshi was the first Indian civil

servant. He also inherited the musical propensity of the family and

composed many Brahma-Sangit songs. He also accompanied on a

harmonium in the Brahma-Samaj. His two children, Indira Devi and

Surendranath were brought up in the family tradition of music culture.

Indira Devi played a vital role in notating the songs of Rabindranath.

Hemendranath, the third son of Maharshi learnt music seriously from

Bishnu Chakravarty and Jadu Bhatt. Daughter Pratibha Devi and son

Kshitindranath were also roomed in Classical music from their

childhood.

Jyotirindranath, the fourth son of Maharshi, was one of the most

prominent people in the life of Rabindranath. Besides, he was the

second gem of the family after Rabindranath. He was a man of creative

genius, a musician, a musicologist, poet-composer, dramatist, artist,

nationalist, editor and president of several journals and organizations

respectively.

Jyotirindranath Thakur established a theatre at their Jorasanko

residence, where many plays were staged. He being a musician and

litterateur, as well as a patriot, Jyotirindranath staged many plays on

46

national themes. He composed songs for these plays which became

famous as ‘Swadeshi-Sangeeta’, for example ‘Jval Jval Chita Dvigun

Dvigun’, ‘Mile Sabe Bharat Santan’ etc.

Besides these members of the family, Rabindranath’s eldest brother-in-

law Sarada Prasanna Bandopadhyay who was a disciple of the well-

known Jwalaprasad Sitari and himself a very fine sitar player.

During the second half of the 19th

century, Bengal’s social, cultural,

literary, and religious, besides other activities were greatly influenced

as a result of the renaissance. Music was one of them. Many musical

establishments were initiated. ‘Sangeet-Samaj’ was one of them,

founded by Jyotirindranath. Music and acting both were taught.

Rabindranath was also involved in the activities of this institution.

Besides these elite and aristocratic members of the family of Jorasanko

Thakurbadi, the apparently insignificant servants played an important

role in nurturing the folk element in Rabindranath. In his writings,

Rabindranath has mentioned about the enchanting manner, the

servants used to describe in detail the various folk arts of Jatra and

Panchali while he was a still a child in their custody!

b) Musicians and Maestros visiting Thakurbadi

Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Rabindranath’s father was a fervent

lover of music, especially, Indian Classical music. He invited professional

artists and scholars from the different parts of the country and

rewarded them with enormous pay. The artists who performed at the

palatial Thakurbadi came from various places such as Ayodhya, Gwalior,

47

Muradabad and Vadodara. A renowned Vocalist of those days who paid

frequent visits was Ustaad Maula Baksh. Anata Kumar Chakravarty

writes in his book, “Ganer Belay O Belay”, “Ustad Maula Baksh was a

court musician in the royal court of Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad of

Vadodara. Being well-versed in both Karnatic and Hindustani Systems

of music, he had a command over both the genres. He established a

school at Vadodara called ‘Gayanshala’, which is now known as ‘College

of Music’. Invention of a notation system also falls to his credit.”3

This

‘College of Music’ today is better known as Department of Performing

Arts at the esteemed Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad University of

Vadodara. Ustad Maula Baksh was its first principal.

This tradition wasn’t new to the family. Prince Dwarkanath, too, used to

invite many kalavantas (artists and maestros) at Jorasanko house and

listened to them intently which enhanced his knowledge of Indian

Classical Music.

The regular visits of these masters of Indian Classical music and

incessant listening to the Uchchang-Sangeet led Rabindranath to

imbibe a fine musical temperament.

c) Various involvements (Religious, Literary, Political etc.) of the family

promoting musical-participation

“I was born in 1861, that is not an important date of history, but it

belongs to a great epoch in Bengal, when the currents of three

movements had met in the life of our country. One of these, the

religious was introduced by a very great-hearted man of gigantic

intelligence, Raja Ram Mohan Roy. There was a second movement

48

equally important, Bankimchandra Chatterjee, who though much older

than myself, was my contemporary and lived long enough for me to see

him, was the first pioneer in the literary revolution, which happened in

Bengal about that time. There was yet another, the National. It was not

fully political, but it began to give voice to the mind of our people trying

to assert their own personality. These three movements were on foot

and in all the three the members of my own family took active

participation,”4 says Rabindranath.

Under the religious movement, the association with the ‘Brahma Samaj’

founded by Raja Rammohan Roy, brought in its flow pure Indian

classical music at the Jorasanko Thakurbadi, Rabindranath’s childhood-

abode. Brahma Samaj had their prayers composed in pure Indian

Classical music as Raja Rammohan Roy was himself well-informed and

expert of Indian classical music. These religious songs known as

‘Upasana Gaan’ or ‘Brahmo Songeet’ were based on the ancient

Dhrupad pattern of Indian Classical music. Santidev Ghosh says, “Even

before Rabindranath started composing; approximately ‘sixty’ Brahmo

Songeet had already been composed by his father and brothers. The

various Sangeet Ustads who helped in composing these tunes were

home-tutor Vishnu Chakravarty, Ramapati Bandopadhyaya, Santipur’s

Rajachandra Ray and Jadu Bhatt.”5

The Tagore family was actively involved in the movements of social and

national level. Jyotirindranath was actively involved with the

emancipation of women in the society. He was a patriot as mentioned

earlier and so, devised music in his self-composed songs to motivate

the contemporary society with patriotic and nationalistic fervor.

49

Rabindranath followed the same path later and composed a whole

section of songs known as ‘swadeshi’ in the later period of his life.

As far as the literary involvement of Jorasanko Thakurbadi is concerned,

the very foundation of the family of Rabindranath was established on

literary and educational concept. The entire family was highly learned

and had association with varied organizations and journals of literary

merit. The script of the various plays and acts was written by the family

members themselves; which is altogether impossible unless one is a

litterateur. Music remained an inseparable part of this movement as

well, as the acts were purely musical as mentioned earlier.

3) Western Influences on the Thakurbadi of Jorasanko

Rabindranath, in the primal days of the Sangit Bhavana, wished to make

‘Western music’ a part of the curriculum of Sangeet Bhavana. As was

his philosophy of ‘Universality’, he regarded that even for the total

development of musical faculty in a student of music required

versatility, adaptability and flexibility. Rabindranath, himself, crossed all

the cultural and political boundaries to embrace a ‘universal’ concept of

music in his compositions.

Parallel to Indian classical Music or Hindusthani Shastriya Sangeet,

Rabindranath was keen to bring in and make ‘Western Music’ a part of

Sangit Bhavana. This was according to his vision, his vision to absorb the

overall depth, irrespective of any field. He writes to one of the first-

batch students of Sangit Bhavana, Anadi Dastidar: “For Visva-Bharati, I

want an expert having command over Western Classical Music.”6

50

But due to financial crunches, this could not be possible. Still many

Westerners came and shared their knowledge of music with the

Ashramites. A couple who gave regular demonstrations accompanied

by a piano was Mr. and Mrs. Bake. Everyone in the ashram used to

attend this with great enthusiasm.

This cultural exchange was mutual. Many foreigners, who visited Visva-

Bharati, had a strong dedication for Indian classical music and Rabindra

Sangeet, as well. Sri Santidev Ghosh in his book, “Robindronather

Purnango Shikhaadorshe Songit O Nritto” writes: “It’s not that

European Musicians and artists never visited Visva-Bharati; among

these who are worth-mentioning are Bhenordgan, Mesia Dureya, Mr.

and Mrs. Bake, Miss Eliot, Mr.Garmanush and Mr. Alien Unielu. Almost

every one of these had a strong inclination for Indian Classical music

and Gurudev’s Rabindra Gaan.Some of these even collected folk-songs.

The students of Visva-Bharati learnt Western-music from many of

these.”7

Rabindranath’s inclination for Western music was the result of his

musically-liberal upbringing. As is stated earlier, Prince Dwarkanath,

Rabindranath’s grand-father was an expert in Western music. Similarly,

Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Rabindarnath’s father was well-versed

in the same. This tradition was followed by more or less every member

of the family. There was hardly anyone who uneducated in Western

music. Rabindaranath in his first visit to Europe learnt quite many

Western songs. His early compostions reveal the influence of Western

music in his life. Many songs in Rabindaranath’s early Dance-dramas

like Valmiki-Pratibha and Kaalmrigaya etc. are based on Irish and

51

Scottish tunes. For example, songs ‘Mori O Kahar Bacha’ from Valimki-

Pratibha’, ‘Mana Na Manili’ from Kaalmrigaya and ‘Aaha Aaji E

Boshonto’ from another Dance-drama Mayar Khela are all based on

Irish tune.

These factors mainly stand at the back of the inspiration and concept of

Sangit Bhavana. The ‘seed’ of the music of the Jorasanko Thakurbadi,

the music which was free from all bondages of sect or creed, the music

which was a confluence of diverse genres and varied emotions, reared

the ‘Sangit Bhavana’.

The Sangit Bhavana started as an altogether informal way for the sole

fear of developing reluctance of the students for music and arts. Fairly

enough, in the two decades of the existence of ‘Brahmavidyalaya’ and

Santiniketan Ashram, a platform had been partly constructed by

Rabindranath to stage a global act and performance of Music and Arts,

parallel to other subjects. In this prelude to Visva-Bharati’s Sangit

Bhavana, Rabindranath zealously worked on every aspect of

ornamenting music to develop interest in the students. His various

songs stand as a proof, which belong to every occasion and time of life!

As a mother feeds her child cajoling and making the food agreeable

enough to be made acceptable by the child, similarly Rabindranath

invited children to make music a part of their lives, all the while

demonstrating the sweetness and soulfulness of music!

Sudhir Ranjan Das, recalls, “Teachers Dinendranath Thakur and Ajit

Chakaravarty with the help of Esraj and Tanpura used to give music

lessons. From the ‘Geetanjali’ Gurudev first taught Dinu Babu

52

(Dinendranath Thakur), Dinu Babu later taught those the students.

Many a times Gurudev himself, taught the students and gave music

lessons.”8

Apart from these, Boitalik Dal (groups of singers singing during dawn

and dusk) regularly used to sing songs going around the Ashram and

singing soulful notes according to the requirement of the time.

A student belonging to Santiniketan’s Brahmacharya Ashram in the year

1907-1911 writes: “In the evenings during the Vinodan-Sabha, Satya

Babu, Jagadananda Babu (Jagadananda Roy), Ajit Babu (Ajit

Chakravarty) used to tell stories- there were sessions of Music, Poetry

and Drama.”9

Rabindranath envisioned his school as a place which would safeguard

the future generations from foreign attacks or even domestic orthodox

concepts. His vision for his school ‘Brahmavidyalaya’ in his own words,

are, “This institution is not meant only to memorize and clear exams-

but to approach the world through full self-control, dedication, purity

of body and mind and complete single-pointed devotion. And later

cross the world to unite with the ultimate Truth.”

Rabindranath wanted an altogether individual place for music in the

education system of Visva-Bharati. Previously, he did not engage the

pupils in any sort of ‘music-class’, since he knew this could cause

repulsion. So, he merely kept informal get together in which both the

teachers and students took part. This was called the ‘Vinodan Sabha’,

where all sorts of mind-games, play-act, music and literature was

53

involved. This was to create interest and inclination of the students in

general.

“Just after the establishment of Santiniketan’s Brahmacharya Ashram,

songs were taught by Gurudev himself and Dinendranath. After some

years Ajit Chakravarty joined in. The records do not reveal the coaching

of Indian Classical Music in the Vidyalaya for around a decade of its set

up,”10

says Santidev Ghosh.

But Rabindranath sincerely wished to start the training of Indian

Classical Music, since he knew about its importance. This is expressed in

a concerned- letter written to Mr. Ajit Chakravarty:

“It seems music is subjected to negligence nowadays in the Vidyalaya,

this is not good, keep up the flame of music ablaze in the Vidyalaya. As

the environs of Santiniketan help in building up the souls of the

students, likewise music is also a source of establishing beautifully the

lives of the students. It is not that our efforts will make each pupil an

artist. But they will surely get connected to the reservoir of bliss. That

itself is something very big as an achievement. But still I want you all to

search for a paid-music-teacher.”11

Through “paid-music-teacher”, Rabindranath meant teacher for

‘Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet’ because for Rabindra Sangeet there

were many in the Ashram whose salary was not at all a problem.

Rabindranath knew this very well that for a disciplined and systematic

training of music, Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet would be a must

otherwise in the absence of proper ‘Swar-gyan’ (knowledge of the

subtle notes) every other form of music would be incomplete. That is

54

why he advised Anadi Dastidar to learn to notate the songs which

require an in-depth knowledge of music. Besides, an important factor

behind introducing Indian Classical Music or Bharatiya Shastriya

Sangeet was to enrich his own musical creations and develop within the

students a sound technical base.

Rabindranath also was very keen on introducing ‘Dance’ to the

education system. He introduced Manipuri Dance and Kathakali in the

syllabus. But the social-ambience was not at all allowing ‘dance’ to be a

part of education. The contemporary society was not even ready to

accept dance as part of their lives, as it was disregarded. Rabindranath

received quite a lot of resistance from the existing orthodox society to

bring ‘dance’ into the main stream education, as is mentioned

previously. But the laurels he received after establishing the various

dance forms in the unconducive circumstances brought glory to Visva-

Bharati’s Sangeet Bhavan as well. Gayatri Chattopadhyaya writes in her

book called ‘Bharoter Nrittokola’, “In modern times it was due to

Kaviguru Rabindranath that the Manipuri Style of Dancing has attracted

attention not only in India but also in foreign lands. During his visits to

Srihatta, Kachad and Agartala, the ‘Raasnrittya’ specially attracts the

attention of Rabindranath. In the year 1926, he brings with him Sri

Nabkumar Singh to teach Manipuri Dance. In Nabkumar’s direction and

supervision the Dance-dramas ‘Natir Puja’ and ‘Khaturang’ are

performed in Manipuri Dance styles. Then Rabindranath invites Sinarik

singh Rajkumar and Nileshwar Mukherjee to teach Manipuri Dancing at

Santiniketan in the year 1934. In the same year the Dance-dramas

‘Shyama’, ‘Chitrangada’ and ‘Chandalika’ are staged in Santiniketan. In

55

the year 1939, at the special request of Rabindranath, Guru Atamba

Singh arrives in Santiniketan as a Manipuri Dance Acharya. In Sri

Atamba Singh’s tenure the Dance-drama ‘Mayar Khela’ is performed.

The Manipuri Dancing style has a particular attunement with

Rabindranath’s songs and the emotion of his songs. That was the

reason behind Rabindranath’s desire for choosing this form of dancing

style particularly for his Dance-dramas.

As in music, in dance too, Rabindranath sought for a revival, and for

this reason he continuously worked on his own theme of dancing which

developed as an independent style known as ‘Rabindra Nrittya’.

Rabindranath’s Santiniketan was an important podium which

introduced Manipuri Dancing to the World- Dance platform.

Rabindranath observed, “Our body balances the weight of the parts,

and that in turn is responsible for the natural movement of the parts.

When these two blend in a harmonic combination, gives birth to

‘Dance’.”12

Apart from Music (Both Vocal and Instrumental) and Dance, Sangit

Bhavana also flaunts a Department of Drama. Tagore was inspired to

create his world-renowned Dance-Dramas after getting inspired by the

Manipuri Nrityas, he relished in his visit to Silhet, Manipur.

Gurudev visited Agartala for the first time on the occasion of

Dolpurnima in the year of 1899 and saw the Manipuri Nritya during this

visit. Again after twenty years during his visit to Silhet on the 5th

of

November 1919, Tagore saw and cherished the ‘Rakhal’ Nritya

56

performed by young Manipuri boys and responded saying, “Graceful

best form of physical exercise!”

An excerpt of an interview of Tagore taken by Sri Nalini Kumar Bhadra

taken on 17th

June 1936 at the Jorasanko Thakur Badi published in the

journal “Nalini” (Issues of the year 1941, 1996, 97) supports the above

fact:

Tagore said, “Around fourteen-fifteen years ago, I saw the Manipuri

dance for the first time during my visit to Silhet. The dance form had

completely transferred me into a different dreamland, inspiring me to

create Nrityanatyas and capturing my heart and soul…On the

foundation of Manipuri Dance, have all my Nrityanatyas been based.

Manipuri dance is an asset and the most important factor to create

Rasa (emotions) in my Nrityanatyas.”

The section of Drama is fundamentally based on Tagore’s Dance-

Dramas or Nrityanatyas. It was established in the year 1979. The

following excerpt from the letter written to Chairman of U.G.C. by the

Adhyaksha of Sangeet Bhavan, dated 28th

April 1990, will establish this:

“The Department of Drama was established after long deliberations

and persuasion in the year 1979 and its first in charge was Sri Paritosh

Banerjee. From July 1988 session, Drama as a course of study at the

undergraduate level was introduced and students were admitted with

the understanding that they will be able to continue up to Part II level

of the course until and unless posts of teachers are available.”

57

Rabindranath had a penetrating analysis of the mind. He observes: “Our

conscious mind occupies only a superficial layer of our life; the sub-

conscious mind is almost fathomless in its depth- where the wisdom of

countless ages grows up from its base, like the great continents,

beyond our ken. Our conscious mind finds its expression in numerous

deliberate activities which pass and repass before our view. Our sub-

conscious mind where dwells our soul, must also have its adequate

media of expression. These mediums are poetry, music and arts; herein

the complete personality of man finds its utterance.”13

In February 1936, the paper read by Rabindranath at the New

Education Fellowship Conference, ‘The Place of Music in Education’ is a

plea for placing music on its rightful footing in the scheme of education,

especially in our country. It is of significance so far as it throws light on

one of the most important aspects of Rabindranath’s educational

thought and practice. Rabindranath in his speech inspired each and

everyone to bring back the good old days of our rich Classical music and

dance. He recalled the by-gone days of Bengal where proficiency in

music used to be considered a proof of culture in those days. Both the

Classical and folk genres were cultivated with great dedication and

patience by each and even one and was patronized by the elites and

leading citizens of the country.

Rabindranath particularly points out the way music was considered an

indispensable element not only of religious and social functions but

also of the theatre and even of literature, which was the expression of

music-hungry soul of Bengal!

58

Rabindranath in his ‘Sangit-Chinta’ writes that it was supposed to be a

blot on one’s social image and prestige if a person gestured on a missed

beat of a concert or requested for an off-season or off-time Raga in a

Music Conference! The general audience, he states, attending the

music conference known as ‘Baithakas’ were expected to have

thorough knowledge of music. But then he regrets of the lowly

contemporary situation of music. He expressed concern of the

diminished love and respect for musical art under the artificial demands

of modern education and the absence of its respectable place in the

curriculum of the schools and colleges.

It is true that any institution cannot convert all its followers into artists,

may be two out of ten is the final ratio. Still, the rest eight remain

connected with the soul of the art in some way or the other. And this

was what Rabindranath wanted for his students.

Today society needs appreciators, educated critics and learned

audiences with the same potentiality as it needs matured, well-

groomed and qualified artists. To create and develop the former is also

one of the main tasks and responsibility of the Universities as Visva-

Bharati. And this purpose was very well served by the informal teaching

sessions introduced by Rabindranath. As was his aspiration, music in

Santiniketan is as spontaneous as the act of breathing!

A Visva-Bharati Scholar, even if he or she is an economist, scientist or a

social-worker revels in some or the other form of art in his relaxing

hours. Herein rests the glory of the Institution of Rabindranath. In this

regard, a Praktani (senior inmate of Visva-Bharati) recalls a usual class

59

of Sangit Bhavana. The interesting element of this class was, just after a

few moments of its inception, a milk-man rushed in to play ‘khol’ (A

percussion instrument), as it was his field of skill! Such is the

magnificence of this place where art is worshipped, irrespective of the

profession!

The purpose of art is to bring morality, ethics, and discipline and last

but not the least, ‘humanity’ in the homosapiens! It chisels the persona

and soothes the blemished soul to make one in peace with oneself. So,

it was one of the major reasons Rabindranath made music and arts a

part of the main stream educational system.

Rabindranath says, “Our education should be in full touch with our

complete life, economical, intellectual, aesthetic, social, spiritual;

connected with it by the living bonds of varied co-operations.”14

Just as Kala-Bhavana is the center for study of art and traditions, old

and modern, belonging to different countries and different parts of

India, similarly the Section of music and dancing, Sangit Bhavana also

arranged for the study of different styles of music and dancing in India

and to some extent of other countries as well.

As mentioned earlier, provision for the learning of Indian Classical

Music had already been made along with that of Rabindranath’s songs

during the pre-Visva-Bharati days. After Visva-Bharati was established,

music and dance from various parts of the country and abroad received

introduction and appreciation here at the University. To name a few,

the Kathiawar singers gave demonstrations of the Kathiawar school of

folk dance during their devotional singing in 1920. The famous Garba

60

dance of Gujarat and Kathak dance of North India were also presented.

Among the dances of other countries, the unique dance styles of Java

and Bali which deeply impressed Rabindranath during his tour of South-

East Asia in 1927, occupied an important place at Sangeet Bhavana. The

‘Candy’ dance of Ceylon (Now Srilanka) was also partly assimilated as a

result of the Ceylonese Tour of the Santiniketan Troupe in 1934. Even

Russian Folk-Dance found a place in his dance-items, which was

introduced by a Russian dancer in Rabindranath’s Dance-drama

‘Sapmochan’ in 1931. Santidev Ghosh, an alumni and an ex-Adhyaksha

of Sangeet Bhavana was mainly instrumental in importing these

influences into the dance-models of the institution. Pratima Devi, the

daughter-in-law of Rabindranath, was also instrumental in building up

the great dance-tradition of Visva-Bharati through her own talent.

What Kala Bhavana established in the field of art, Sangit Bhavana

secured in the field of music and dancing, mainly to serve as a nucleus

for a fresh movement towards new modes and new reforms.

Rabindranath’s own compositions in music represented a remarkably

original attempt to liberate music from the shackles of moribund forms

and to blend the different styles of Indian music- Classical, Modern and

Folk- into a novel Harmony. And herein lay Rabindranath’s vision for

‘Music’ as a whole. His attempt to bring poetry and melody together

into a harmonious synthesis, one entering into and enriching the

other(according to an expression of aesthetics, to be able to listen to a

painting and to be able to see a song, this was very well attained by

Rabindranath; not only for himself but also accomplished for others);

his endeavor to bring about the same rich synthesis in the field of

61

dancing, breaking down the rigid formalities of orthodox styles,

assimilating the unique grace and spirit of the different dancing schools

and fusing them all into a harmonious pattern, retaining the element of

discipline involved in mastering the characteristic technique of each

different style all the while- all these experiments were the loud

expressions of his comprehensive vision.

Himangshu Bhushan, very aptly states, “The performances of the

Sangeet Bhavana students on different occasions, in connection with

the routine activities of Visva-Bharati, as also in different parts of the

country, became widely known for their unique, artistic excellence.

They not only contributed immensely to the sum total of the cultural

activities of the institution and the aesthetic experience of the students

throughout the year but left deeper, though subtler, influence on the

cultural life of the country at large. Though it is difficult to measure the

influence in the objective sense, it may not be an exaggeration to state

that the credit of rescuing music and dancing from the ignominy

associated with professional practitioners and of endowing these arts

with dignity and respectability, so that men and women of respectable

families might demonstrate on the public stage, should largely go to

Tagore and his colleagues and pupils at Sangeet Bhavana. It is also

claimed that the institution is responsible for a most remarkable revival

of group dancing in India.

The place that music and dancing have come to occupy in the more

progressive schools of the country, the increasing popularity of dancing

in enlightened society, the celebration of season and similar festivals

through songs and dances after the Santiniketan pattern, the liberation

62

of spirit of experimentation in music and dance forms as evinced in

Indian celluloid owe in no small measure to the dynamic experiments

and achievements of Rabindranath which made Santiniketan the very

symbol and model of progressive artistic activities of all kinds in the

country.”15

‘Sangit-Bhavana’ as a concept fructified after a stretched interval. But

‘Sangit’ or music was in the air and the environs of the Brahmacharya

Ashram i.e., the primal stage of Visva-Bharati. For every occasion there

was music. Be it sad or happy, spiritual or casual, music expressed every

subtle aspect of Rabindranath’s school at Santiniketan. As was his

dream, music was not kept confined to the class-rooms of Sangit-

Bhavana but was nourished throughout Santiniketan, since

Rabindranath’s philosophy of education was based on the synthesis of

life and aesthetics. As the staff and the students of Brahmacharya

Ashram were a small family, in any gathering all the members used to

assemble to sing and dance and act informally. Even Sriyukta Kalimohan

Ghosh and Charles Andrews, the pioneers of rural development work in

the Sriniketan mission have taught many songs to the pupils. Music was

interspersed in the life of every Ashramite without any schedule of

training. This was the glory of Rabindranath’s informal education.

Sita Devi, one of the early inmates of the Ashram recalls in her book of

memoirs ‘Punnosmriti’: “In those days, whenever a meeting was

organized by Rabindranath, it was compulsory to end it with a song

otherwise everything would be very unsatisfactory and incomplete.”16

63

In the initial phase of Santiniketan, when ‘Sangit-Bhavana’ was yet to

be formed, Rabindranath and Dinendranath (Rabindranath’s nephew),

taught music. After some time, Ajit Kumar Chakravarty joined in. Till the

first decade of the Ashram’s establishment, there is no record of any

other music-teacher, other than these. During this period, the faculty of

art was being carefully cultivated and the artistic inclinations of the

juvenile minds being tenderly pampered by Rabindranath. Prabhat

Kumar Mukhopadhyay recalls, “With the help of a big Organ (Western

Chord Instrument) Ajit Kumar Chakravarty and Dinendranath with a

huge Esraj (Bengal’s Popular String Instrument) used to teach music to

the children of the Ashram.”17

Another memoir, in this connection is that of Kshitimohan Sen, when

he joined Santiniketan in the month of July, 1908. He recollects: “In the

evening he (Rabindranath) would sit among students and entertain

them in various ways. He would extempore stories, talks and poems for

them and would make them act in dramas, read poems or essays.”18

We can observe that through these informal, unofficial and casual

gatherings Rabindranath used to convey very eloquently vivid messages

of life to the children, many a times without their knowledge!

In spite of having teachers who had expertise in Rabindra-Sangeet,

Rabindranath waited for someone who could teach Indian Classical

music. We can assume this from his desire of introducing formal

training of music expressed in the following lines:

“When I first started my school my boys had no evident love for music.

The consequence was that at the beginning I did not employ a music

64

teacher and did not force the boys to take music lessons. I merely

created opportunities when those of us who had the gift could exercise

the musical culture. It had the effect of unconsciously training the ears

of the boys. And when gradually most of them showed a strong

inclination and love for music, I saw that they would be willing to

subject themselves to formal teaching, and it was then that I secured a

music teacher.”19

Perhaps his own experiences as child made him careful and aware

while developing the faculty of ‘music’ and ‘arts’ in his own pupils. He

did not want to over-emphasize music or art to an extent that the

pupils start repelling it! Similar to what happened to himself when

Jadunath Bhatt, his music-tutor tried to forcefully teach music before

prior introducing or cultivating the taste of the art in young

Rabindranath. The method in which he had been taught was a

forewarning for Rabindranath to amend necessary manipulations in the

methods of his own teaching-techniques. He gauged the consequences

and made required alterations accordingly.

Himangshu Bhushan Mukherjee states in his book “Education for

Fullness”:“The haunting melody that often greeted the ears of a casual

visitor to the institution from early morning till late in the night, or the

soul-enchanting songs that were heard during the various music

festivals, had their genesis in this Section (Sangit Bhavana, established

later); under the inspiring direction and leadership of Dinendranath

Tagore as long as he was associated with Visva-Bharati up to the year

1934. Thus it naturally became the preparation ground for an almost

65

ceaseless musical activity at different periods of the day and night, on

different occasions and in different seasons all the year round.”20

The primary objective of this Section was to impart training in music

and dancing to the students of Visva-Bharati as a part of their

education, or as a special course for Diploma, as well as to organize

activities in music and dancing with a view to contributing to the spirit

of beauty and joy in the general life of the institution, so as to form a

proper atmosphere and background for the complete education of its

pupils.

In the Bangla –year of 1320 (English year of 1913), Rabindranath after

returning from England assigned two Muslim Ustads to teach the

Marga Sangeet or Pure Indian Classical music. These were the very first

Acharyas of Indian Classical music. Their names haven’t been recorded

anywhere but a short detail about them is found in Prabhat

Mukhopadhyay’s “Santiniketan Visva-Bharati”. He says: “Perhaps in the

year 1912, two Muslim Ustads were appointed to teach ‘Marga

Sangeet’ or pure Indian Classical music. It seems they weren’t eligible

and so discontinued their services after a very short span of joining

office. I can recall the peculiar manner of their singing with the support

of a huge tanpura and making all sorts of gestures. And oh! How

ridiculous were those gestures!”21

After these artists left, joined Sri Bhimrao Hasurkar Shastri in the year

1919. Since he served Visva-Bharati for around a decade, he can be

officially called the first Acharya of Indian Classical music of the Sangit

Bhavana. Sri Santidev Ghosh records, “In 1913 Gurudev first appointed

66

two teachers of Hindustani music at Santiniketan. But their stay was

short, and they did not return after the summer vacation. Shortly after,

Sri Bhimrao Shastri, a Maharashtrian Classical singer, was appointed. He

taught Sanskrit as well.”22

As there were informal music lessons, the

division of Vocal, Instrumental and Dance also didn’t exist. The teachers

were mostly experts in more than one genre, for instance, Pandit

Bhimrao Shastri was well-versed in Veena and Pakahawaj, besides

Indian classical music (Vocal). Sri Ranjit Singh who joined Sangeet

Bhavan in the year 1923 taught khyal , dhrupad, dhamar and also

instruments like sitar, pakhawaj and esraj.

An excerpt from “Robindronather Purnango Shikhadorshe Songeet O

Nritto” by Santidev Ghosh states about the endeavor of Rabindranath

to establish music and arts in the education system through his

writings. In addition, Santidev Ghosh also writes about the informal

teaching irrespective of any divisions of separate ‘Departments’:

“In the year 1919, an article of Rabindranath is published in the

‘Santiniketan’ journal. The article is tilted ‘Kalavidya’. This article was

mainly addressed to those who disagreed to establish music and arts in

the main stream of education. He ascertained in this article that music

and arts hold in themselves the Nation’s pride and dignity. Till the

establishment of Visva-Bharati in the year 1919, teaching was informal

and there were no separate divisions. Everyone was free to learn the

subject of his or her choice. In the year 1919, Visva-Bharati started its

work with mere three departments, namely, Language (Literature), Art

and Music. There were total six students in the Sangit Bhavana.”23

67

A brief official history of the establishment of the Department of Music

or the Sangit Bhavana is as follows:

In the newly established Visva-Bharati, Art and Music Departments

were joint and the new name given was ‘Kala Bhavan’. This was in the

year 1921. Now the complete name of the department was ‘Kala

Bhavana- School of Art and Music’.

In the year 1922, the Kala Bhavan officially shifted to a two-storied

building East of Santiniketan. On the first storey was Music Department

and on the second, the Art Faculty.

In 1924, Kala Bhavan again transfers to ‘Santoshalaya’. In the same

year, the old library’s upper storey is renovated and there the Kala

Bhavan’s Art Faculty is set up; whereas Sangeet Vibhag finds place in

‘Samindra-Kutir’.

In 1925, after the summer vacations, Sangeet Vibhag is again

transferred to a bush-house to the East of Santiniketan called ‘Nuton

Badi’.

In 1929, ‘Nandan’ becomes the permanent office of Kala Bhavan where

both Art and Music again reunite in one campus.

In 1933, the two art forms of Kala Bhavana receive their individual

names, namely for Art Faculty, the ‘Kala Bhavan’ and for the Performing

Arts Faculty or Music Faculty, the ‘Sangit Bhavana’.

In 1935, to the existing Cheena Bhavana’s west where there existed the

student’s hostel named ‘Purbatani’, ‘Sangit Bhavana’ is re-shifted.

68

In the year 1939, with the financial aids of Tripura’s Maharaja and

Aawagadh’s Majesty, the current building of Sangit Bhavana is finally

constructed and the Music Department shifted here for good.

Rabindranath thought that as the ancient Gurukulas of the Rishis living

in Tapovana was supported by the Kings and other wealthy merchants,

in the same manner, his school (Ashram) would also be supported by

the wealthy contemporary society. This did not happen. Only His

Majesty of Tripura kept on sponsoring Visva-Bharati yearly with

Rs.1000, even after Rabindranath’s demise.

Since Dance as an individual art wasn’t considered respectable by the

contemporary society, the Department of Dance as an individual

Faculty started much later. Dance was presented as a form of ‘Rhythmic

Aerobics’ during the early years of its establishment. Besides till the

year 1934, there were irregular appointments of Dance Acharyas. This

was because none of the Acharya till the year 1934 stayed for more

than a year. But still the mission of propagation of dance did not cease.

Rabindranath restlessly pursued to bring the art of dance in the main

stream of education. When the year 1934-35 saw the admissions of

some students separately for Music, Instrument and Dance, only then

for the very first time a need was felt to introduce a certain Syllabus for

the departments individually.

Although the credit of bringing ‘Candy’ dance of Sinhal for the first time

to Santiniketan goes to ‘Shyama’, Rabindranath in the later versions of

“Shyama” amalgamated four established Dancing styles of India namely

the Manipuri, Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Kathak. The various

characters such as ‘Bajrasen’ enacted with Bharatnatyam and Kathakali,

69

‘Uttiya’ enacted with pure Kathak, ‘Prahari’ enacted with unmodified

Kathakali and ‘Shyama’ in the original Rabindranath’s style of Manipuri

Dance forms.

Rabindranath singled out the various dance forms of India according to

their distinctive gestures. According to his exploration in various

dancing styles, he employed Manipuri dancing style to express subtle

and gentle emotions, for the emotions of valor and strength; he

engaged ‘Kathakali’. Similarly, Rabindranath articulated Sinhala’s

‘Candy’ form of dance to gesticulate gallantry and bravery.

In such a manner Sangit Bhavana was established with the painstaking

efforts of Rabindranath in the mould of his own philosophy and vision.

“Poet Noguchi of Japan, referring to the great importance accorded to

Music in Tagore’s ideal of education, observed, “Apart from Music,

there would be no mental training for man, because rhythmical

harmony alone rescues man from artificiality and corruption…If

Tagore’s is musical education, it means the development of human

minds in the most natural way.””24