
I was Walking the streets with Bengali poets in Dhaka, paying tribute to Rabindranath Tagore.
I have read Ravindranath Tagore many times. I love his writing so much that I know it by heart. I especially like his one story “Home and the World.” It is about matters of the heart; it is so beautiful. The moment that I finished watching the movie “Charulata,” I believed that the movie had provided a little peace for me.
He went on to ask, “Won't you work and make money instead of writing poems?” I was shocked by the unexpected question from my grandfather. He continued, seriously, “How are you feeling about my questions?” I rejected his questions at once, saying, “I don't like them.” Unable to be patient while looking at his sad face, I added, “I love poems, to an unlimited degree. For me, poems are immortal and we must immortalize them at any cost.” He did not like my answer and said, “Stop being a dreamer, be practical.” His voice contained pain while giving me this advice. I could say nothing, and so was quiet.
When I read a song written by Rabindranath Tagore, “Walk Alone,” the whole night passed in what seemed like a minute. Songs that touch us make life really beautiful.
I told my father, “I am going to Dhaka. It would bring me great pleasure to attend the Bengali poetry program there and show my appreciation to Rabindranath Tagore.” A Bengali poet, Tagore was born in Calcutta, India.
“It is not so easy for a young girl to travel away from home,” my father said, trying to talk me out of my proposal. I did not care and told him, “I will go. Nothing can stop me from going to Dhaka. Please, don't say no.” My father stood dumbfounded. I have found that, many times, silence is a sign of permission, as when I am sharing my ideas and contributions with other poets.
Rabindranath Tagore's poems have inspired me from inside my heart. He wrote to add more beauty to this beautiful life. All the great poets and writers of the world whose works I have gotten the chance to read – in Nepali, Hindi or English – all of them are my favorite writers.
While in Dhaka, I had some new experiences. I got to see life as a canvas and imagined the blue sky and the sea. The birds flew freely, as I composed a poem and listened to it. I was anxious to go meet Rabindranath Tagore, and I wrote a small poem for him:
Life accept
it as compulsory fact.
Life stands
you are the light
You are my destination.