Next year, stay at Bengal hill home where Rabindranath Tagore did radio recital

India Today

a day ago

Long before the world was knitted together by the internet and even before mobile phones became ubiquitous, telephone lines were a luxury reserved for India's major urban centres. Yet in 1938, in the remote, cloud-kissed hills of Kalimpong—now a district in West Bengal—Rabindranath Tagore's voice travelled across the airwaves, reciting a poem live for All India Radio (AIR).What made that broadcast remarkable wasn't just the poem itself—it was the infrastructure it ushered in. For the poet to go live on air from his residence in Kalimpong, telephone towers were installed in the region, cutting through the isolation of the hills for the first time.advertisementToday, as the West Bengal Heritage Commission works to restore the very mansion from where Tagore's voice once echoed into the homes of thousands, this forgotten story is finding its way back into collective memory.The house is known as the Gouripur Mansion, a two-storeyed building nestled in the tranquil lap of Kalimpong. It then belonged to the zamindars of Gouripur, a region in present-day Mymensingh, Bangladesh, and over time became a cherished retreat for the Bard of Bengal.
Between 1938 and 1940, Tagore stayed at the mansion on at least three occasions, and it was here that his 77th birthday was celebrated. The date, 25th day of the month of Baisakh in the Bengali calendar, fell in mid-May that year.The late litterateur and traveller Prabodh Kumar Sanyal was present in the mansion that day. In his book Debatatma Himalaya, he describes what it felt like to be inside the house when Tagore read out his poem Jonmodin—or Birthday—live on AIR, which was then headquartered in Kolkata.The poem now resides in the anthology Senjuti. According to Sanyal, who was 33 at the time, the occasion was momentous not just because of the literary value of the poem but because it led to a breakthrough in the region's connectivity. 'There was no telephone in Kalimpong—it was inaugurated for this occasion. Telephone poles were installed in the hills of Kalimpong for the past few days. The telephone authorities have spent quite the money for this purpose,' he wrote in the 10th chapter of the first part of his book.Tagore was not alone that day. Sanyal noted that the poet was accompanied by his son Rathindranath, daughter-in-law and painter Pratima Devi, author Maitreyee Devi, and a close circle of admirers and friends. It was a quiet gathering, yet it would leave an indelible mark on the history of the hills.Aveek Majumdar, assistant professor of comparative literature at Jadavpur University, says that history records how important this house was in the life of Tagore. 'There is detailed description of this house in the book Kobir Abas (or House of the Poet) by Suranjana Bhattacharya. We thank the commission for taking up the task to restore it,' he said.Unfortunately, this same Gouripur Mansion would also become the site of Tagore's last summer in Kalimpong. During his final stay in 1940, he fell severely ill. According to scholars, his condition was so critical that many feared he would not survive the night. But Tagore, then 79 years old, held on. Though he would never recover fully, he returned to Kolkata, where he passed away a year later in 1941.advertisementThe building that bore witness to both poetic triumph and personal tragedy has since endured decades of neglect. It suffered particularly during the years of political unrest triggered by the Gorkhaland movement. As the hills settled into relative calm, the West Bengal Heritage Commission took up the responsibility of restoring the house. According to Alapan Bandyopadhyay, chairman of the commission, preserving this site has always been of cultural importance. 'The Gouripur House, holds much significance for Bengalis and the cultural history of the state. The work of restoration is being done and we plan to set up a Tagore museum here,' he said.The restoration is being carried out in two phases at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 5 crore, led by the public works department of the state government. When the house reopens—likely by next year—it will not just be a museum. The two-storeyed mansion will also include six suite rooms, to be operated by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited, inviting travellers to stay in a place where history lingers in every wall.advertisementThe state government hopes to weave this mansion into a broader tourism circuit that celebrates Tagore's legacy in the hills. Roughly 37 km away lies the poet's other retreat in Mungpoo, Kurseong, which has already been restored and welcomes tourists. Together, the Gouripur Mansion in Kalimpong and the Mungpoo House could offer a parallel Tagore trail, drawing cultural enthusiasts from across the country.When visitors eventually step into the restored Gouripur Mansion, they will be greeted by a bust of Tagore—silent, watchful and timeless. It will stand as a sentinel to the past, reminding them that long before satellites orbited the earth or mobile towers dotted the landscape, a poet's voice was strong enough to bring technology to the hills. And that in doing so, he didn't just write history—he broadcast it.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch