Remembering Tagore on Independence Day

On the eve of India’s Independence Day, Tagore’s contributions to the nation cannot be overlooked.

  • Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed the national song of India with a title “Vande Matram”. The national song was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore by setting heart touching glorious tone to it. The song was first sung at the session of the Indian National Congress in 1896. Shri Aurobindo translated the national song in the English version which is considered as official and best as per Bhavan’s book, Vande Mataram by Moni Bagchee.
Vande Matram
Image source

The translation in English is as follows:

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands,
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and
stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

  • His poem on freedom

Freedom from fear is the freedom
I claim for you my motherland!
Freedom from the burden of the ages, bending your head,
breaking your back, blinding your eyes to the beckoning
call of the future;
Freedom from the shackles of slumber wherewith
you fasten yourself in night’s stillness,
mistrusting the star that speaks of truth’s adventurous paths;
freedom from the anarchy of destiny
whole sails are weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds,
and the helm to a hand ever rigid and cold as death.
Freedom from the insult of dwelling in a puppet’s world,
where movements are started through brainless wires,
repeated through mindless habits,
where figures wait with patience and obedience for the
master of show,
to be stirred into a mimicry of life.

  • Ekla Chalo Re was first recorded by Rabindranath Tagore himself sometime between 1905 and 1908.

     

     

    The song exhorts the listener to continue his or her journey, despite abandonment or lack of support from others. The song is often quoted in the context of political or social change movements.

The essence of India, its diversity, defines the nature of its democracy.

Happy Independence Day to all.

Bora Bora Island – a Dreamy Affair

Located in the Leeward group of Society Islands of French Polynesia, Bora Bora Islands is in close proximity to another famous destination Tahiti Islands. Known for the aqua centric luxury destination that are developed as a part of eco tourism to allure newlyweds from around the globe. The iconic over water bungalows webbed on the vast stretches of lagoon gives a feeling of fantasy come true.  With many choices of activities such as water sports, treks, helicopter ride or just read your favorite author to choose from Bora Bora has something for everyone.


Your dream journey to Bora Bora starts right from the moment you enter the air space of this beautiful archipelago on board your flight. The picturesque views of Mount Otemanu on the little islet of Bora along with the blue lagoon and the white sand beach are breathtaking. If a traveler wishes to visit Bora Bora by the sea, they can arrive in style by the luxury cruise that will pamper you to your soul with their compassionate and courteous services on the cruise.

The locals have built a web of these beautiful small over water bungalows that provide all types of luxuries and amenities possibly available any tourist destination. The best part of some of this accommodations is they have glass bottoms where you can witness the crystal clear water and the rich marine life that Bora Bora is famous for.

The island is full of surprises when it comes to natural beauty and reserved habitats. Since this place of the earth is known to be explored the last on earth, the stunning landscapes are mostly untouched. Twin mountains of Mount Otemanu and Pahia are formed out of volcanic caldera and are best for treks and mountain safari on jeeps


A perfect lagoon destination, Bora Bora offers some of the most exotic and resplendent experiences of water sport. Snorkeling, Scuba diving and swimming in and around lagoons of Bora Bora are the must do activities. Many local operators can help you with the unique experiences of diving with manta rays and sharks that are easily found in this part of the world.

There are some other experiences like Aqua Safari, Aqua Biking and Keishi Lagoon tour that travelers can opt for to make most of your stay at Bora Bora.

It is one of the rare destination that is sure to make a huge dent on your pocket. No matter how hard you try to save you will be quick to realize that Bora Bora is either expensive or indescribably expensive. But this pricey destination makes sure to repay you with all of its heart. The perfect combination of ambiance and service will be hard to match in any other destination of the world and will stay in your conscience for a lifetime.


The best time to visit Bora Bora is during the dry season that runs from May to October.  The rains in these islands are unpredictable and can go on for long hours. During the dry season which is also the peak season, the water stays mildly warm which is perfect for swimming. Since this is a French Polynesian country, the main language here is French, and the other language that has great influence of Bora Bora is Tahitian although most locals have a good understanding of English.



Booking.com

*/For further details do check out source: Bora Bora Island – a Dreamy Affair – bookaHotel.in/*

Remembering Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was the best author in Indian writing; a Bengali writer, author, instructor, Nobel Laureate for Literature [1913]. He was awarded a knighthood in 1915, yet he surrendered it in 1919 in dissent against the Massacre of Amritsar, where British troops executed 400 Indian demonstrators.

Rabindranath Tagore’s 74th demise commemoration was on August 7. He was born on 7 May. [1861-1941]

I recall reading his novel ‘Gora’. Gora is more than a novel; it is an epic of India on the move at a critical time of present-day history, when the social conscience and intellectual awareness of the new intellectuals were in the throes of a great stirring. It is an examination, of complex  Indian social existence, with its abounding disagreements, or of the character of Indian patriotism, which draws its roots from re-developing Hinduism and extends its arms towards all-inclusive humanism.

Tagore is a splendid writer as he puts the reader before issues of India. Everything, even the characters, has a reason, an obscure significance. Gora is a masterpiece and cherished jewel in Bengali Literature. The excellent novel inspects the social life amid The British period in India. It is a mind-boggling story of religion, adoration, patriotism and conviction.

I additionally can’t overlook these motivating lines from his poems

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake 

Endless Time

Time is endless in thy hands, my lord.

There is none to count thy minutes.

 

Days and nights pass and ages bloom and fade like flowers.

Thou knowest how to wait.

 

Thy centuries follow each other perfecting a small wild flower.

 

We have no time to lose,

and having no time we must scramble for a chance.

We are too poor to be late.

 

And thus it is that time goes by

while I give it to every querulous man who claims it,

and thine altar is empty of all offerings to the last.

 

At the end of the day I hasten in fear lest thy gate be shut;

but I find that yet there is time.

*/The above post is a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his death anniversary /*

WPC-Beneath my feet

The ground beneath my feet as I am on my way to Billing, Himachal Pradesh.

This is from where I stand and see the valley beneath my feet. This is the topmost point in Billing, Himachal Pradesh.

A paraglider glides into the valley at Billing which is a ‘paragliders’ Paradise’.

*/This post is inspired by WPC Beneath Your Feet /*