Krishna Bose: Tagore's poems offer solace

Krishna Bose, author, social worker, ex-Parliamentarian, and wife of Netaji's nephew Sisir Kumar Bose, has come up with a hauntingly beautiful rendition of Rabindranath Tagore's poems in the album, 'Rabindranather Bhasha, Amar Moner Katha'. The CD was recently released by Bhavna Records & Cassettes and represents Tagore's philosophical ruminations on life and death through these poems. In many ways, the poet's thoughts match Bose's ruminations on subjects like life and death.

The ace elocutionist speaks about how Tagore offers a refuge in human trials and tribulations. In the first poem "Jte nahi dibo," the poet talks about the pain of separation that he experiences as a father while leaving his own wife and daughter for work. Bose's rendition captures the emotion-laden situation with accuracy and then this pain translates into the universal pain of parting that death ultimately brings while being separated from life.

In another poem, 'Brahman', Tagore maps out the story of a young boy, a non-Brahmin, who comes to the ashram of Rishi Gautam, to acquire knowledge which is the prerogative of Brahmins. When the Rishi wants to know his caste, he goes back to his mother who disappoints him. When Satyakam returns, he is the object of ridicule of other students of the ashram but the Rishi embraces him as the superior one, the one with true education. "This", says Bose, is "an answer to Rohith Vemula's letter written before he committed suicide". Vemula was a Dalit student of Hyderabad University who was alleged to be a victim of casteist politics inherent in our educational system.

In other poems like "Shesh Katha" and "Joydhwani", Bose renders with authenticity the celebration of life which the poet talks about in the last stage of his life, the pitfalls along the way and the inevitability of death.