Rabindranath Tagore had once written ‘Chitto jetha bhoyshunnyo’ (Where the mind is without fear). The poem can be read as a list of prayers expressing the Nobel laureate’s vision of a free nation. Among many other wishes, he prays to the Almighty to awaken his countrymen in a world that ‘has not been broken up into fragments / By narrow domestic walls…’ Domestic walls is a complex symbol that can be interpreted in many ways. India has always accommodated diverse cultures, languages and kingdoms in its vast territory. It is a land of diversities. The poet doesn’t want these differences to divide his countrymen as separate individuals, or into clustered communities or groups.
Trouble between locals and the university administration had been mounting for several months. The first flashpoint was last year’s Poush Mela, when the VC reduced the fair’s duration from six to four days, increased the fees for stalls, refused to return the caution money deposited by stall owners and brought in police to evict traders and craftsmen from neighbouring villages and districts who overstayed on the premises. This was unprecedented in Visva Bharati’s history.
The demolition of shops in Ratan Pally in June this year amidst the lockdown was the next flash point. The VC was at the forefront in Ratan Pally, supervising the demolition of shops behind the post office that had been around for decades, providing a livelihood to several poor families. This happened in the middle of the lockdown, when the families were already severely affected, and contributed to people’s anger against the university administration.
The decision to construct a wall around the Poush Mela ground escalated these confrontations, more so because numerous people use the ground every day for walking, jogging, playing sports or meeting and chatting with friends. ‘The vandalism on August 17 was certainly condemnable,’ said Supriyo Thakur, a descendant of the Rabindranath Tagore’s family and former Principal of Patha Bhavan, the school Tagore set up. He was very categorical when he said, ‘I really don’t understand one thing. Has the security of the campus ever been compromised in any manner for all these years that necessitated the construction of a concrete wall to secure the safety of the campus? I definitely protest against the construction of the wall. If at all, the issue of encroachment could have been sorted by fencing the area.’
Supriyo Thakur also laments how the university is fast losing the last vestiges of Tagore’s legacy. One of Tagore’s last wishes, as expressed in his 1940 letter to Gandhiji, was that Visva Bharati ‘may claim special care from my countrymen for its preservation.’ That wish has been destroyed. Tagore gave Visva Bharati its motto: ‘Yatra Visvam Bhavatyekanidam’— where the world makes a home in a single nest. There are many nests in Visva Bharati today, all in very bad shape, and all in imminent danger of falling to the ground.
(Reporting by Tales Talks & Walks)
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