The Land Where I Found It All

Buddhadeva Bose belonged to that generation of Bengali writers of the thirties and forties who fought tooth and nail to escape the all-pervading influence of Rabindranath Tagore to establish their personal idioms. He succeeded, but the fascination, admiration, and awe of the older poet remained. He twice visited Shantiniketan with his family, once in 1938 and then in the summer of 1941, invited by the poet himself. The younger poet, who in youth rebelled against him, now worshipped him and truly loved him. The title of this memoir Sab Peyechhir Deshe (‘The land where I found it all’) says it all. He intended to give this book personally to Rabindranath as a gift of his deep appreciation, but, sadly, by the time the book came out of the press, Rabindranath had passed away. And what had been conceived as a gift of gratitude now turned into an elegy, a younger poet’s homage to his Master. This book has been ever a favourite with Bengali readers, and constitutes an invaluable addition to the study of Tagore and his life.