Paintings by Tagore (above & right)
childhood years were a collage of different experiences that shaped his adult character. Their’s was a large family but one that shared a warm and close bonding despite the occasional financial upheaval. His older brother was instrumental in getting him started on art and to make sure he remained interested set him interesting assignments that included travel to places of historic and archaeological significance. As Manjit cycled to destinations through the hinterland of the country, he often read Tagore’s writings, during breaks. The cadmium yellow mustard fields and fiery orange blossoms of ‘polash’ would make their way to his canvas but so would be the beat and rhythm of tribals he would encounter en route. Long after INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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his passing, I discovered his companion of those journeys, in a torn and tattered volume written by Rabindranath Tagore called ‘What is Art?’ (Kessinger Publications, 2005 edn). Revisiting the pages, I thought this must have been a favourite read, for the leaves of the pages were now frayed and brittle. Holding it in my hand, I heard Manjit’s voice again as he drew parallels between the two lives and journeys. While in distant Birbhum, in another age, Tagore paid his tribute to the wandering minstrels, the ‘baul’ through his work, so did Manjit celebrate the Sufi saints and poets. For both, it was the metaphysical aspect of the faith that mattered, not any religious connotation. Interestingly, Sikhism was Manjit’s family’s religion, Bramhoism, Tagore’s INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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