Possessing Tagore

The way purist's have treated Kishore Kumar's Tagore songs is very typical of a certain side of the Bengali psyche which tends to get apoplectic at the very mention of Rabindranath Tagore without the usual veneration. Undoubtedly Tagore was a genius. Not merely because he dealt with internationalism to astronomy, from paintings to dance-dramas. Or maybe his immensely layered and beautifully crafted short stories and songs and plays and novels and music and treatises on philosphy...Because he touched even the less cerebral populace like yours truly with his economy of expression. However, unfortunately, after he was crystallised at large as a member of Pantheon of Hindu Gods amongst us Bengalis, anything which was against the tradition or his interpretation became a matter of national crisis.Verbal rapiers cut through opinions as if having a separate one was akin to serving Lucifer. Ask Khushwant Singh, he would know....There is something called the 'Rabindrabodh' or 'Bhaab', often cited by the purists,and would roughly translate into the 'true feeling or essence' of Tagore's philosophy.This, according to them gets spoilt, when a singer of the stature of Debabrata Biswas brings in an extra violin or Kishore Kumar doesn't lock his jaw while singing in the Shantiniketani or the classical mould. Which obviously is ridiculous, because nobody can pinpoint what is this Bodh or Bhaab..apart from blowing the word up with the hot air of even more abstruse words. Tagore and his songs, I feel, are so personal and layered it would be foolhardy to straitjacket them in a paradigm. Each conduit between Tagore and the heart of his audience can be uniquely different and equally telling in impact. So the next time when Kishore Kumar in his robust voice declares Aami chini go chini, don't hesitate to celebrate the joys of freedom, away from the shackles of the purists. For Tagore himself once said, however much rosy the path of traditional wisdom strewn beaten track might be, evolution and upgradation in human expression can only come through fresh, new and innovative approaches...even though that path might be replete with thorns and pebbles. Just that the thorns might not be potent enough to deter non-conforming spirits like that of Kishore Kumar or Debabrata Biswas, or maybe Kabir Suman sailing through 'Bondhu michche raag koro naa' with just an acoustic guitar. Something which the late Chinmoy Chatterjee might have thoroughly enjoyed at heart, whatever be his contention.