The poet at close quarters
Top: The Tagore Kuthibari in Shilaidaha. Bottom left: Kiam Uddin of Kasba village. Bottom right: Mohammed Jhoru Pramanik of Patisar village.Photo: STAR
“I have never seen a more kind-hearted man than our Jomidar (landlord) Rabindranath Tagore,” said Mohammed Jhoru Pramanik. Over 106 years old, Pramanik is only living person in Patisar village (Naongaon district) who had seen the Noble laureate poet at close quarters during his last visit to the area in 1937.
“I had the chance to ride on the poet's boat with my brother-in-law Kobiz Ali Mondal who was the only Muslim cook among the staff,” said Pramanik. Apparently Tagore was greatly impressed when he learnt that his raiyat (subject) Akbar Akhand had bought an elephant. “I have no elephant but my raiyat has one; it's very interesting,” remarked the poet who accepted an invitation from Akbar Akhand to see the elephant.
“I can still remember that many people came from both sides of the Chhato River in Patisar came to see off the Jomidar on July 26, 1937 for the last time,” said a nostalgic Pramanik, adding that the poet and all his raiyats were in tears that day.
In a similar vein, 97-year-old Kiam Uddin of Kasba village (Kushtia district) said that the poet was very kind and usually wrote off the taxes of his poor raiyats. “I saw him when he was going to his Kachhari Bari, crossing the Padma river,” he said. While he said that he had seen Tagore several times, he was unable to give the date or year of the poet's visit.
Relatives of the 118-year-old one Amir Sheikh of the same village claimed that the old man saw Tagore closely several times, but could not give details because of his memory loss.
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