Tagore's Sweet Song Poem by Sukumar Choudhuri

Sukumar Choudhuri

Sukumar Choudhuri

Balarampur Village in the District of Purulia in West Bengal.

Tagore's Sweet Song



However numerous the stories
that Tagore wrote in his lifetime,
there are far more stories
involving him in his lifetime.
Those stories were filled with
a variant cluster of personhood
and stories involving them
were as varied too.
It never stops to amaze me
to think of them.
Amongst those, is the sweet story of
Mr. Morris. Let me narrate it to you.

Mr. Morris used to teach English
and French at Santiniketan.
Foreigners usually have a taste
for alcohol but Mr. Morris had
grown a taste for music
while being immersed in the song
culture of Santiniketan.
He used to hum the tunes and
the lyrics of those little
understood songs in his solitude.

One of his favourite students was
the later to be a celebrated personality
Pramathnath Bishi. Once hearing
Mr. Morris sing, he asked his teacher,
'Which song are you humming Sir? '
To this Mr. Morris replied,
'Oh why, haven't you heard this song?
It is the sweetest song of Gurudev.
It's about sugar. That song it is:
'Ami chini go chini tomare…'

Pramathnath couldn't stop laughing.
'A song about sugar ('Chini' in Bengali means sugar)
has to be sweet. But who put forth the explanation
to you Sir? ' Mr. Morris replied,
'Who else but Gurudev himself.
I had requested him for a sweet
song for some time now……..

(Translated by Sushmita Paul from
Sukumar Choudhuri's ‘Robithakurer Misti gaan")

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Written and transcreated to present during 156th Birth anniversary of Tagore by KHANAN at Nagpur.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Sukumar Choudhuri

Sukumar Choudhuri

Balarampur Village in the District of Purulia in West Bengal.
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