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Sunday,
the 16th of June 1996
The
workmen, who were suppose to come and work at my brandnew
place, had let me down for the third weekend (weekends are
the only times, when I am at home, they can work and repair
all the water-marks in the rooms the last monsoon had left).
So I decided to visit Elizabeth again. I had heard from
Laurence that one of her trouble-tooth had been extracted
and I wanted to see for myself how Elizabeth really was.
The weather is most surprisingly strange: No more
'burning dry 49o
C', but either 'moist 35o
C' or 'moist 40oC'.
I had mentally decided that this was the monsoon, though
much too early. It was too humid and it rained too much for
the time of the year. The birds also behaved strangely,
flying very low, and I often watched them coming from
nowhere just missing my car when I drove. This had not
happened before. The humidity was too high. I believed all,
men and beast, were suffering from some kind of
equilibrium-shock because of this unprecedented weather.
It thundered and rained all the way from Haryana to
Rabindra Nagar.
-
Elizabeth sat on her bed, as usual, but her eyes
where far away. She had only mild pain from the
tooth-extraction at the moment. She told me that she
believed, two more teeth would have to come out eventually.
-
Still, we enjoyed being together, once again, and I
could watch how Elizabeth gradually became more lively in my
presence.
As
Elizabeth was also willing to talk into the microphone,
Dagmar asked her: "I would like to know how you caught
Tagore that way, in that middle painting there, where he is
reading a book. He looks as if he is in bed." But
Elizabeth retorted, "in an easy-chair on the veranda of
the 'small house'!
- He would sit there and read and have a little
nap. His hands would not move. He remained in the same
position, he was not fidgity at all. And usually he dressed
in a colourful kurta (an Indian gentleman's shirt)."
Dagmar said, "how lovely. Sit a little and sleep a
little. Just like you do these days."
..."Tagore looks as if he is in bed...
Sir
Rabindranath Tagore was born on 06.05.1861 in Calcutta and
died 07.08.1941 also in Calcutta. He was one of India's
greatest writer,
painter, composer and philosopher.
He founded the international university 'Visva
Bharati' in Santiniketan(a few of hours train journey from
Calcutta) where he tried to eternalize his ideals of a world
citizenship.
Famous are his 'Rabindra Sangeets' and dance dramas.
His songs and dances enchant the spectators with their free
and flowing style (in comparison to conventional Indian
music and dance).
He had three daughters and two sons. Unfortunately
his wife Menalini passed away already at the age of 29, in
the year 1902.
He was awarded the Nobel Price for Literature in
1913.
It is, perhaps, interesting to note that Tagore's birthday -
seventh of May - was Elizabeth's mother's and father's wedding day.
Tagore's
brother Jorashanko Scenes in Santiniketan
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