Thoughts of Tagore

At the outset I extend my heartfelt thanks to the organizer to hold a beautiful session today. This session is in need a learning session- a session of searching souls and  recalling history and focusing Rabindra Nath Tagore’s contribution in the field of agriculture and rural community.  Agriculture and agricultural community is now at stake. It is the right time to reiterate the thoughts of the great Prophet Rabindra Nath –counting their relevance in the context of agriculture.

Rabindra Nath- a towering personality left us in 1941 leaving thoughts, actions and works in multi-dimensions. Much of his thoughts made him a great poet, short story writer, playwright, novelist, music composer, artist, painters and so on. However, apart from enriching literary domain, he as an apostle made tremendous contributions to the rural community and became pioneer in several attempts for the improving agricultural sector.  Our learned speakers have un-surfaced those subjects in the context of today’s pitiable agricultural condition of the state as well as country. This present generation should re-read Rabindra Nath and knows all the attempts he made for farming community and re-assesses for applying those attempts in present agrarian field.

Now, I want to repeat relevance of the Great man’s thoughts relating to agriculture  briefly.

The major concerns for agricultural development are of four-folds in nature. They are classified under four Es, namely, Economic issues, Environmental Issues, Equity issues and Efficiency issues.   If we prioritize the concurrent issues under all above heads,  which need immediate intervention globally or nationally or locally they are:

• Food security of the subjects, irrespective of rural and urban
  
•  Livelihoods of rural people
  
• Ecological threats
  
• Rural Governance

Whatever may be modes to tackle the issues in rural or agricultural frontier they are primarily dependent on three interactive components, viz; nature, technology & institutions. Nature guides the crops to be grown or left in a region. Crops suitable in coastal regions are misfit in the indo Gangetic soils. Salinity problems of Sundarbans can not be removed or rational by importing good soils from other parts. We have to accept the nature and adjust our efforts accordingly. Embracing the nature, particularly agro-climatic condition we have to develop our appropriate technology for more agricultural produce. Obviously technology selection is tested through socio-economic channels. The third component is the social component- the institutions- representing the agency -the state or the households –private or public, inter and relationship between farm operators and landlords or states intervening the process. At micro level, institutions reveal social institutions involving farmers to act.  Now let us cite some examples where Rabindra Nath showed brilliant intervention. And let us see whether those could be tried today or not.

Rabindra Nath accepted the basic nature of the mother earth. Only he tried to find out suitable technology and initiate modern agriculture. He wanted to refine the traditional agricultural technology with science and power.  It is beyond of doubt that Rabindra Nath was a man of science, admirer of new technology. All of us know his difference of opinion in Charka. Rabindra Nath was in favor of using power and machine. We know he had a good relationship with Jag dish Chandra Bose. This relationship was seen before Rabindranath became a universal Laurel after receiving Noble Prize. In late years we found his scientific bent of mind across discussion with Einstein.  RabindraNath wrote master pieces on science in Bengali. Prof. Satyen Bose became a friend of Tagore. To say this I want to draw your attention that Rabindra Nath was not at all a person having imagenative ideas.   His scientific mind was seen in agricultural field. He sent his son Rathindra Nath along with Santosh Mazumdar-his friend’s son in USA to read agriculture(1906). He also sent his son-in-law Nagendra Ganguly in USA for learning agricultural science.  All these show his keen interest on knowing agricultural science in a scientific manner and applying agricultural science in our local condition.

Rabindra Nath’s love for agriculture, his keen interest on agriculture and his relevant thoughts on agriculture could be understood from his letter addressed to Rathindra Nath (1908). In his words “… Please encourage them to grow in their homestead land, on the boundaries of the fields and wherever possible pineapples, banana, date palm other fruit trees. Good and strong fibers can be obtained from the leaves of pineapple. The fruit is also easily marketable. Tapioca can be grown as hedges and tenants should be taught how to extract food materials from its roots. It would be profitable if they could be inducted to cultivate potatoes. Try again to sow the seeds of the American maize which have been kept in the office”.   In this paragraph we find Rabindra Nath as a fine toned agriculturist.  A real agriculturist always tries to make a change in the crop-folio incorporating value added new crops.  New crops could be grown by farmers if those crops have market and they are profitable.  Traditional cultivars are to be replaced by new varieties. For adopting a crop we must know the know how of practices.  These thoughts are relevant today. Rabindra Nath is great he foresaw these well ahead.  Farm planning, crop planning, agricultural strategic planning as advocated by Rabindra Nath is still relevant. 

Rabindra Nath thought to apply modern science in agriculture to produce most effective way.  This thought is very much relevant today. Our country needs today more and more number of agricultural skills and agricultural bent youths to combat food-insecurity.

Rabindra Nath  saw agriculture and agricultural community at his young age while he took the charge of Silaidaha and Patisar estates in 1880. He experienced socio-economic conditions of rural people there. He was pained to see their pitiable conditions. He became restless and thought nights after nights how they could be lifted.  He began to experiment measures for the welfare of farming community. He wanted to see self-reliant, self regulated  villages. Thus he divided his estated into zones(Vibhags)-each with a self governing organization but federated to a central administration body called Hitaishi Sabha. Hitaishi sabha was represented by elected farming members. There were democratic process in electing representatives.  Hitaishi sabha was entrusted to see the welfare of the village community.  Rabindra Nath’s letter to lady Abola Bose (1908)  reveal his rural  thoughts in a meticulous way.

“Arrangements has been made so that the villagers should be able to undertake welfare measures themselves by repairing roads, removing the dearth of water, setting their disputes by arbitration, establishing schools, clearing jungles, providing against famines by setting up Dharmagolas (grain banks) etc. and to every way to contribute their own share in the welfare of the village to which they belong”.  See. Rabindra Nath is a prophet. His thoughts for village welfare  are for all times to prevail. Now a days we have adopted Panchayet Raj. This concept is very much in tone to the thoughts of Rabindra Nath.

Tagore was aware that agriculture alone can not solve livelihoods of farming community. He recognized the value of handicrafts.  He opened weaving school at Potisar. He introduced scientific psiculture there. He also tried to establish a rice mill on co-operative basis.   Tagore was aware that Diversification in rural sector is  required at village level. This thought is also equally reiterated today. 

Rabindra Nath’s experiment in Potisar took a great shape in 1921 when Elemhirst and Mrs. Straight joined rural reconstruction program at Sriniketan. Rabindra Nath seeded the foundation of agricultural school and the study centre for socio-economic analyses of the rural people. Rabindranath also established at this time a full-fledged organisation for agricultural and rural development called Sriniketan in the village of Shurul, two miles away from Santiniketan. Schemes for developing animal husbandry, weaving, agriculture, and cottage industries were undertaken by this organisation. In addition, projects to improve the lot of the villagers such as a village library, hospital, cooperative bank, tube-well irrigation, and an industrial estate were adopted.

Rabindra Nath was a strong advocator of co-operative movement. He wrote numerous articles to extend the co-operative movement. His co-operative bank at Potisar is an example. It is to be mentioned here that Tagore deposited his Noble prize money in the Potisar cooperative Bank he founded.  To examine the impact of co-operative movement he visited Gosaba, Sundarbans and met Hamilton- a co-operative movement star at Gosaba.

 Prof. Brenda Gourley  a noted educationist and 1st woman Vice chancellor in South Africa  rightly said “  I was shamed to discover that whereas the University of Natal had at last established own school of rural community development, Tagore anticipated us by seventy years. He conceived of a university where through participation and service, there was a “living communication” between the university, the students and the peasants rooted in soil. “. In these short words, we find excellent analysis on the agricultural thoughts advocated by Rabindra Nath Tagore. These thoughts are immortal and relevant today.

From above, we see Tagore was a visionary person. There is no iota of doubt about his diagnosing the pulses of rural India. What ever he attempted for agricultural development is still having relevance in our country.