Tagore's Mongpu bungalow under repair

The commemoration of the 156th birth anniversary of the bard saw a shift in venue from his favourite Mongpu to Darjeeling town, due to ongoing repairs of the bungalow in which Tagore used to stay. The bungalow now houses the Rabindra Museum.

"As the building is currently undergoing repairs, we could not have the usual celebrations in Mongpu this year," stated Joyoshi Dasgupta, DM, Darjeeling. With the model code of conduct in place owing to the civic polls in the Hills slated for May 14, celebrations had to be toned down. "The bungalow is undergoing thorough renovation. The tin roof is being changed.

Repair work could take around three to four months for completion," added Litan Talukdar, Block Development Officer, Tukdah. Mongpu is under his jurisdiction. 33 km from Darjeeling town, Mongpu was Tagore's favourite destination.

He visited the village on May 21, 1938, and stayed till June that year. In 1939, he stayed here from May 14 till June 17 to return again on September 12 the same year and stay till the first week of November. In 1940, he arrived at Mongpu on April 21 and his birthday was also celebrated here that year.

This was his last visit after which he fell ill and had to return to Kolkata. During his frequent stays at Mongpu, he had composed many memorable literary works, including Chelebela, Nobojatok, Sesh Kotha, Bangla Bhashar Porichoy, Mongpu, Giribas, Sanai, Akash Prodip and Jonmodin.

In Mongpu, Tagore used to stay at the residence of Manmohan Sen (husband of Maitreyi Devi) who was the chief chemist of the cinchona plantation. In 1944, this house was converted to 'Rabindra Smriti-bhavan' that later became the 'Rabindra Museum' in 2009. It displays some of the lesser known facets of the poet's life, like Gurudev practicing homeopathy. The exhibits include paints used by Tagore as well as a self portrait. People from all walks of life arrived at Mongpu to honour the memory of Tagore and garland his statue in the premises of the bungalow.