Rajkavi Tambe: A Singer of Exquisite Songs

DR. MRS INDUMATI SHEOREY
M. A., Ph. D., G. D. ART

Two poets belonging to the earlier era of Modern Marathi poetry, who could be credited with having a large following and a ‘School’, are ‘Keshavsut’ (1866-1905) and Bhasker Ramachandra Tambe (1874-1941), whose birth centenary is being observed in Maharashtra and the Marathi-speaking areas outside it. There was a generation gap between the two. If Keshavsut was the pioneer of modern Marathi poetry, Tambe too was a new trend-setter. Each was a stalwart in his own right and influenced generations of poets. Keshavsut–the “poets poet” was an exponent of progressivism. His was the poetry of revolt-both literary and social. He had blown his ‘Trumpet’ (‘Tutari’) ‘to bury the old and bring in the new’ and called himself ‘a soldier of the new age’, while Tambe was mainly preoccupied with love, chivalric romance and philosophy. To some critics, his poetry, “after Keshavsut and his kind appeared to be a relapse into escapism.”

This was, it is said, because Tambe, living in Madhyabharat, remained isolated from the main-stream of Maharashtrian life which in a state of political and social ferment. But actually the difference between the two poets was rather ‘temperamental’ than environmental. They differed in their approach to poetry. To Keshavsut–poetry had an agitational role; while Tambe did not approve of using the muse as a vehicle of reform or propaganda. Both have written on the sufferings of Hindu widows. But Keshavsut’s these and other widely-acclaimed poems–like ‘Tutari’ and ‘Zapurza’ appeared to Tambe as “Sermons.”

Born in April 1974 at Mugawali (in Gwalior State) where his father was holding a small government post, Tambe spent his entire life in various princely states of Madhyabharat. It was during the reign of the third Peshwa that his ancestors were brought from Konkan to Jhansi for administrative help. He was distantly related to Rani Laxmibai, the daughter of Morapant Tambe. After a chequered career, he entered into the state service of Dewas and later moved from one State to another. He started writing poetry in his teens and was ‘discovered’ while at Indore, by some of his literary friends who compiled his poems. His poetry was thus introduced to Maharashtra first by poet Maydeo in 1920 and then in detail by Madhav Julien, a leading light of Ravi Kiran Mandal–a group of poets. Its effect was instantaneous. Tributes came thick and fast. But the best form of tribute was general invitation. Tambe is considered to have influenced the poetry of Borker, Madhav Julien, Kusumagraj to some extent, and Pandit, Kalele, Zokarker, Kant up to Padgaonker.

The phenomenon of his great popularity could be explained in several ways. Firstly, Keshavsut, the radicalist, was long dead. So were the other major poets of literary Renaissance of 1885-1920–Rev. Tilak, ‘Vinayak,’ ‘Govindagraj’ and ‘Balkavi.’ With them the first wave of literary fervour had cooled down. Secondly, he was taller than any of the poets of ‘Ravi Kiran Mandal’ which was then making headway. Thirdly, his poetry had struck quite a different note. His lyrics were chaste and refined, the, had musical quality, sensuousness of style, and a philosophical strain. He introduced many new patterns of verse-rhythm, wrote excellent love lyrics and dramatic lyrics hitherto unknown to Marathi poetry. The feudal-romantic setting of some of his poems had an exotic appeal, while his traditional imagery evoked an easy response.

Several influences, both Western and Indian, went into the making of Tambe, the poet. In his early years he was deeply affected by Marathi and Hindi Saint poetry. Later, he studied Sanskrit poets and Indian poetics. In his college days he became acquainted with Shakespeare and the poets of Romantic Revival. But Tennyson and Browning were his special favourites. The musical quality of his poetry and his experiments in prosody were due to his love of music, in which he had taken lessons from some State musicians. His thought was moulded by Indian Philosophy in which he had deep interest, which is reflected In his poetry, especially of the later period.

“This is a remarkable feature of my poetry that it has grown with my life”, he says in a letter to Maydeo, (dated 24-4-33), “it babbled like a child when I was below fifteen. It was licenscious in my early youth…….It dwelt upon love after wedding till children sprang up round me. Then it sang of children. Reconciliation to the realities of life brought in a fresh crop of love poetry deeper in note and more universal in character.”

Tambe’s poetry for children consists of songs ‘for’ children and songs on children. Many of his songs for children were written for the popular children’s magazine ‘Anand’, edited by W. G. Apte who was his friend, whiles others were written for the young princes of Dewas, whose tutor he was. He also translated Browning’s ‘Pied Piper’ for them. This poetry was noted for its psychological portrayal. In the words of Prof. W. G. Patwardhan, a fastidious and famous critic of those days, “these songs are as simple, pure and sweet as children.”

Like Browning, Tambe unsuccessfully tried his hand at play-writing and then took to Dramatic lyrics. AsBrowning himself had explained, these lyrics “though often lyric in expression, always dramatic in principle, are so many utterances of so many imaginery persons, not mine.” Obviously drawing inspiration from Browning, Tambe wrote dramatic lyrics on a variety of themes. “Rajkanya va Tichi Dasi” (‘The Princess and her maid’), ‘Pannas Varshanter’ (‘Fifty years after ‘), ‘Dole he julmi Gade’ (‘Your naughty eyes’), ‘Naditiri Ubhi Tee’ (‘She stands on the river-bank’), ‘Ka re jashi maj Tyajuni?’ (Why do you desert me?), these and many others are Tambe’s special contributions to Marathi poetry.

Tambe’s multi-faceted poetry consists of several hues. But Love is the predominant one in which he is at his best. Some of his exquisite lyrics were a crase in those days. These love-lyrics are not addressed to any ‘beloved’ as is commonly understood, but to his ‘wife’ in whose love he found fulfilment (But then this was the only kind of love that came to the lot of the poets of that age!). His wife to Tambe was like Indumati to Aja–a beloved friend, partner and guide. Sometimes he compares her to a Goddess who, he says “sweeps his house, while Gods above envy his lot.” “My songs bloom in the lake of your eyes!” he says, “From your love spring mytunes!” With age this love ripens, becomes hallowed and turns from sensual into spiritual.

In later life, Tambe became preoccupied with the Ideas of ‘Death’. Most of his mystic poetry belongs to this period. His eyes are turned towards the “Home left far away”. Like owning who said ofdeath as “one fight more, the best and the last”, Tambe says:

‘Why be afraid of Death?
It’s a gate to Lord’s mercy,
Where he is waiting for you?

and In another poem:

“Let none shed tears,
It’s not the end-nothingness
But fulfilment and oneness with God!”

In “I am the Beloved Bride!” he imagines himself to be a newly-wed shy bride,’ all bedecked in her finery, anxiously waiting to be united with her divine lover. In another poem he cried like Tennyson:

“I am an infant crying in the night
An infant crying for the light.
With nothing but helpless hands
and a cry.”

But it would be unfair to dub Tambe as “an artistic and philosophic dreamer” and his poetry as ‘escapist,’ as some critics have done. It would also be wrong to presume that because he spent his life in the native states he was anti-reformist and reactionary. On the contrary, perhaps the feudal atmosphere in the princely states made him more sensitive to the prevailing economic inequality, slavery of the common man and immense miseries of the poor. His poetry is replete with references to these things. He denounced the palaces as “Abodes of evil”, “palaces steeped in stinking blood”, “where sinful desires do a mad dance,” “where riches flaunt and happiness flies away”. He laments over the lot of the poor “who sell their children for a handful of corn” during famines. His poems on widows depict their sorrows and sacrifices His patriotic poetry (howsoever slender, in volume) was inspired by contemporary events which shook the country. His early patriotic poems were written when the country was agitating against the partition of Bengal, Jalianwalabagh massacre, the repressive Rowlatt Act and the Russian Revolution were responsible for Tambe’s outburst in his famous poem “Invocation to Rudra–the Lord of Destruction.”

“Smash cruel thrones that frown.
Hurl arrogant sovereigns down,
Rob Kings, give poor the crown,
Let similar yours destroy!”

The poem was made much of. It was hailed as ‘revolutionary by well-known poet-critics like Madhav Julien, Kanekar, Prof. B. S. Pandit and others.

The same year, 1920, Tambe wrote an elegy on Tilak. Next two years saw him come under Gandhi’s spell, when he wrote his “Gandhian quintet”. Gandhi’s “Young India” was his favourite journal. He saw, in Gandhi’s non-co-operation movement seeds of a revolution ‘unique’ in the world. But by 1927, his fervour for Gandhism appears to have subsided when he saw the movement fail due to its own weaknesses. This disappointment is reflected in his poem “Watele Nath Ho!”

Two of his poems “Ghatotkacha Maya,” “Samrajyawadi” examples of a biting satire, speak of subtle economic exploitation of India by the British. But in ‘Trinache Patey’ (Blades of grass) he warns the rulers who crush masses under their feet that it was from them that incarnations of Vamana and Narasimha arose to kill the oppressors!

Though this patriotic poetry does not form a major part of Tambe’s output, it goes to show that Tambe was not a poet living in his ‘ivory tower,’ and did go with the times. His contribution to Marathi poetry is not mean. After the front-rank poets ofMarathi Renaissance were dead, and Marathi poetry had degenerated into sentimentalism and popularization; Tambe set the ideal ofartistic perfection. His poetry was similar to Tennyson’s ‘perfect music set into noble words.’ Prof. R. S. Jog compared his songs to Jayadeva’s ‘Ashtapadi.’ In celebrating his centenary, Maharashtra is paying homage to a poet laureate who was a great singer or exquisite songs!