Heritage hopes high as Tagore's K'pong memories lie in ruins

NISHA CHETTRI, SNS, 13 DECEMBER, KALIMPONG: It was here that Rabindranath Tagore inaugurated the first telephone line connecting Kalimpong with Kolkata with the recitation of his poem 'Janmadin,' while the Kabi guru also penned some of his unforgettable poems in Indian literature during his first journey to Kalimpong in 1935.

However, despite the place holding such historical significance, Gouripur House here is now lying in ruins.

A major tourist draw in Kalimpong town, where Tagore stayed for 104 days in his four visits, the now dilapidated house is one of the important places for tourists, especially those from West Bengal itself.

"Gouripur House now looks likes haunted house, while a horror film "Jekhane Bhuter Bhoi" was also shot on the backdrop of this house," a local man said.

The Kalimpong Milanee Club has been trying hard for government recognition and heritage status for this house, and according to the president of the Club, Dr Dulal Chandra Roy, they have already filed applications in this regard to Chief Mi sister Mamata Banerjee during her visits to the town.

"On behalf of Milanee Club, we have put up an application with the CM several times directly when she visited Kalimpong. We are still waiting for a response. Tourists in large numbers regularly come to see this place to get a direct feel of Tagore, but they return very sad to see the pathetic condition of the house that holds such great historical significance," Mr Roy said.

According to him, they want the government to declare this house as a heritage building and construct a "Rabindra Museum' there.

He said four officials of the West Bengal Heritage Commission visited Gouripur House very recently. "This could be a positive sign in our efforts to have this house recognized," he said.

The former principal of Kalimpong BT College, BR Chettri, who lives near Gouripur House, too said tourists flock to the house with great expectations, "but eventually, they are disheartened to see the run-down structure."

Sangita Chhetri, who has been taking care of the building voluntarily after her mother, the Late Krishna Sharma, said the government should turn this building into a museum, so that the historical importance of the place lives on.

The history

Tagore was the first Nobel Laureate to visit Kalimpong for a number of times and it was here that he wrote a number of his immortal literary creations.

Sources in the know say that Tagore used to stay in a particular room of the first floor in the house, which used to be kept exclusively for him.

Tagore had come to Kalimpong in 1938 for the first time and stayed at Gouripur House for almost 52 days.

Local people also talked about how they were told that Mr. John Anderson Homes, the founder of the Dr Grahams Homes school, used to visit Gouripur House on his horse to meet Tagore and share his views on political and other matters.

Tagore wrote some unforgettable poems in his first trip to Kalimpong such as, 'Janmadin' (May 1938), 'Jarathikali' (June 1938), 'Jaksha' (June, 1938) and 'Maya' (June 1938).

"One of the most memorable events in the history of Kalimpong was the inauguration of the first ever telephone line connecting Kalimpong and Kolkata, inaugurated by Tagore with the recitation of 'Janmadin' at the Gouripur House. On 21 April 1940,Tagore again visited Kalimpong and stayed in the Gouripur House till 25 June that year," sources said.

The other poems the Gurudev penned in the town included 'Nam karan', 'Jatil Sansar', 'Damama oi baje' and 'Apaghat'

Tagore came to Kalimpong for the third and final time on 20 Sept 1940, with hopes of recovering from his illness. However, he had to be taken back to Kolkata from Gouripur House on 27 September in an unconscious state. The Camphor tree planted by Tagore still stands tall with all the memory in front of the building.

The only surviving person to witness Tagore's stay in Kalimpong is Krishna Sharma, who is ailing now. She used to clean the rooms and run errands for Tagore, she recalls. She, along with her family members, is still living in the Gouripur house. The house was a private property of one BK Roy Chowdhary, who actually hailed from Bangladesh. It is believed that he had asked Tagore to stay at his place whenever he visited Kalimpong.

People now rue that the land/ compound of the house is being encroached upon by the day, but that neither the administration nor the house owner is taking initiatives to preserve the building.

"We are going to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Tagore with a hope that Kalimpong will be named with lot of respect as another home of the bard like Shantiniketan," Mr Roy said.

Shared by Kalimpong News from The Statesman, 14 December 2017 (Source & Courtesy)