[My first visit to Banagram Ashram]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In fact, when I am talking about the then Banagram__ many objects, people,subjects, events are coming together to my mind. As a result, there is a possibility of being superposition of the incidents. So when something comes to my mind – I’m trying to introduce a little with all these concerned as possible and then–again I am coming to the main subject .It is because, even if I forget later about the incidents, people will at least get a glimpse of those things, objects, persons or events. Now, those who are interested to know more, they can go to the relevant place or to the relevant person and talk to the people concerned.
Anyway, we should return to our main discussion. Of course, I have to mention Some Paramananda-devotees of Banagram Ashram – because I had a conversation with them when I first visited there(December 25, 1983). Among them Swami Krishnananda (Nimaida) and Swami Bhagavatananda (Sukumarda) were the two ‘brahmacharis’ who wore ‘Gerua’ (saffron coloured clothes, usualy worn by a monk). I also saw then more ‘gerua’ worn persons like_ Swami Satyananda (Shambhuda), Swami Atmananda (Khokanda), Swami Akhandananda (Manikda – who died recently i.e on 24/08/2021), Swami Prajnananda (Mihirada) etc. but I could not talk with them still then. I liked too much the normality and simple attitude of Swami Krishnananda. He told me that from the time of his childhood his aim of life was to become a “beggar” ! If any beggar came to his house or in his locality when he was a child, he would go to him and say, “Will you teach me _how to beg?” All these words fascinated me – it was a huge shock to my own world of thinking ! Because I was then preparing myself to be a carrierist !
And the reason of my liking to Bhagavatananda was his singing. He sang to Guruji, it was ‘folk song’. I could remember an incident__one day Guru Maharaj heard his song, which he was singing with a feminine pose in his face ! Seeing this, Guruji said to us, “Bhagavatananda has a little feminine attitude.”
‘Sukumarda’ (Bhagavatananda), about whom l talked about, there was a connection between he and the ‘Nirvikalpa’ (absolute dissolultion of self) of Guruji . Which I’ll talk later.
Let this discussion be stopped now__because we are trying to tell you about the time of my first visit at Banagram Ashram. Then I had a lot of talks about Guruji with a group of boys and girls from Singur also. Some of them, however, were present in the Gangababu’s house, when I first witnessed Guru Maharaj’s sitting . Among them were Sabyasachi Manna, Tapan Adhikari who were older than me and Pappu, Basu, Ranjan etc were of my age. Some were a little younger than me like Pallab (Pelu), Babu (Swami Purnananda Maharaj’s brother), Baro bhola, Chhoto bhola, and more. Among the girls were Ranudi (wife of Sabyada), Ritadi (sister of Swami Purnananda Maharaj), Parvati, Kalpana, Shyamoli and their sisters etc. Whether it was because of my past acquaintance with them or for some other reasons- I became very intimate with them in no time.
Later I noticed that they all used to come to Banagram Ashram in one group. At that time so many people together could hardly come to the ashram from the same place. So when their group entered the ashram, everyone would say, ” ‘Singur’s party’ has arrived!” Very soon (after two or three times visit to Banagram) I also became one of the members of that very ‘Singur Party’. I met with many more persons -but that will be discussed later.
Nevertheless, we were talking about a special incident_ i.e Nagen and Guru Maharaja’s presence at the Tentulia or Tentule village song-festival. Local artists were singing one by one there. Suddenly the announcer announced, “This time the ever-desired, our best singer and pride of our village, artist Mr. …, is coming in front of you!!!” Immediately a huge applause started. Guruji and Nagen started waiting for that famous artist …..Then they saw a thin old man wearing loose and wrinkled pajama-Punjabi coming up on the stage and taking his seat there . Then he pulled the harmonium and bellowed in such a manner, that he was the only ‘master of music’ there. The man seemed much old. In fact he was not as old as it seemed. But everyone knew that the man’s thinness and everything were the result of an unrestrained lifestyle ! The teeth of that old man had all fallen out.So the cheeks have slipped inside. Guruji secretly said Nagen __ ” What a person, so amusing!!! This is their best artist?? Let’s listen to his song and see!”
As soon as the old gentleman played the harmonium, his co-musician arrived. Seeing him, the audience was also overjoyed and put their hands loudly ! This man was much older and exactly the ditto-type of the old singer [It was heard that they were a couple, no one would sing except another!]. He sat down beside the singer with the ‘tabla’ and first made a sound by “Ghubuta… Ghubuta… Ghubuta” on the left tabla shaking his head heavily . Guru Maharaj immediately looked at Nagen and began to smile secretly ! Guruji was sitting on the stage _ a lot of people were in front of Him.As He was a “Gurudev” ___ so He couldn’t smile openly at that place!!! But also – the incident happened !!
That very singer took the harmonium a little further and while playing ‘tabla’ the other gentleman also took his instrument near the singer. What happened by that __ their face and head came closer ! Then the singer looked at the musician’s bat-like shrunk face and started singing, “Tumi sundor tai cheye thaki priya, seki mor oporadh”( meaning of the song – “You’re very beautiful, so I’m looking at you all time dear ! Is that my fault?”). And the musician also looked at the singer’s eyes in a more loving way and played a sound “Ghubuta… Ghubuta… Ghubuta….” in his tabla !
They were putting their head on each other , they kept their eyes on one another __ they were presenting their music like that way !!!
Guru Maharaj looked at Nagen once and started laughing but stopped immediately with great effort ! Nagen was looking at the other side without looking at Guru Maharaj, just to stop laughing ! Sometimes he just glanced at Guru Maharaj and saw that Guru Maharaj’s face was scarlet red ! Guru Maharaj’s face became like that because He tried to stop bursting of his laughter !
The audience laughed too, but there was no change in the singer or musician ! They were singing in their own way. And sometimes both of their heads got so close that it almost stuck with each other ! And Guru Maharaj forcibly stopped laughing, as a result of that He was making a hiccuping sound !
Finally the song ended. And immediately Guruji jumped and went behind the stage.Nagen also went with him. Then they started laughing – and it was like a bursting laughter !! When one’s laughing was over, another’s laughing was beginning !!
After a long time, when they recovered from this situation, they met the official persons, ate something and went for a night’s rest in the house of a devotee.
Guru Maharaj was just saying __ “That very two men selected that kind of song!!!” _ and laughed!! Saying again _ “Well, are they looking each other as good looking man!!” __again laughed!!!
This incident lasted for a long time. In the sitting(at Banagram Ashram), sometimes Guru Maharaj would tell Nagen to tell everyone about the incident. And Nagen always agreed with that and started to express the whole incident in details. And he made everyone who were present there laugh !![To be continued]…….
[Translated by Rajarsi Basak, a student of class Ten of Dhatrigram and corrected by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In fact, when I am talking about the then Banagram__ many objects, people,subjects, events are coming together to my mind. As a result, there is a possibility of being superposition of the incidents. So when something comes to my mind – I’m trying to introduce a little with all these concerned as possible and then–again I am coming to the main subject .It is because, even if I forget later about the incidents, people will at least get a glimpse of those things, objects, persons or events. Now, those who are interested to know more, they can go to the relevant place or to the relevant person and talk to the people concerned.
Anyway, we should return to our main discussion. Of course, I have to mention Some Paramananda-devotees of Banagram Ashram – because I had a conversation with them when I first visited there(December 25, 1983). Among them Swami Krishnananda (Nimaida) and Swami Bhagavatananda (Sukumarda) were the two ‘brahmacharis’ who wore ‘Gerua’ (saffron coloured clothes, usualy worn by a monk). I also saw then more ‘gerua’ worn persons like_ Swami Satyananda (Shambhuda), Swami Atmananda (Khokanda), Swami Akhandananda (Manikda – who died recently i.e on 24/08/2021), Swami Prajnananda (Mihirada) etc. but I could not talk with them still then. I liked too much the normality and simple attitude of Swami Krishnananda. He told me that from the time of his childhood his aim of life was to become a “beggar” ! If any beggar came to his house or in his locality when he was a child, he would go to him and say, “Will you teach me _how to beg?” All these words fascinated me – it was a huge shock to my own world of thinking ! Because I was then preparing myself to be a carrierist !
And the reason of my liking to Bhagavatananda was his singing. He sang to Guruji, it was ‘folk song’. I could remember an incident__one day Guru Maharaj heard his song, which he was singing with a feminine pose in his face ! Seeing this, Guruji said to us, “Bhagavatananda has a little feminine attitude.”
‘Sukumarda’ (Bhagavatananda), about whom l talked about, there was a connection between he and the ‘Nirvikalpa’ (absolute dissolultion of self) of Guruji . Which I’ll talk later.
Let this discussion be stopped now__because we are trying to tell you about the time of my first visit at Banagram Ashram. Then I had a lot of talks about Guruji with a group of boys and girls from Singur also. Some of them, however, were present in the Gangababu’s house, when I first witnessed Guru Maharaj’s sitting . Among them were Sabyasachi Manna, Tapan Adhikari who were older than me and Pappu, Basu, Ranjan etc were of my age. Some were a little younger than me like Pallab (Pelu), Babu (Swami Purnananda Maharaj’s brother), Baro bhola, Chhoto bhola, and more. Among the girls were Ranudi (wife of Sabyada), Ritadi (sister of Swami Purnananda Maharaj), Parvati, Kalpana, Shyamoli and their sisters etc. Whether it was because of my past acquaintance with them or for some other reasons- I became very intimate with them in no time.
Later I noticed that they all used to come to Banagram Ashram in one group. At that time so many people together could hardly come to the ashram from the same place. So when their group entered the ashram, everyone would say, ” ‘Singur’s party’ has arrived!” Very soon (after two or three times visit to Banagram) I also became one of the members of that very ‘Singur Party’. I met with many more persons -but that will be discussed later.
Nevertheless, we were talking about a special incident_ i.e Nagen and Guru Maharaja’s presence at the Tentulia or Tentule village song-festival. Local artists were singing one by one there. Suddenly the announcer announced, “This time the ever-desired, our best singer and pride of our village, artist Mr. …, is coming in front of you!!!” Immediately a huge applause started. Guruji and Nagen started waiting for that famous artist …..Then they saw a thin old man wearing loose and wrinkled pajama-Punjabi coming up on the stage and taking his seat there . Then he pulled the harmonium and bellowed in such a manner, that he was the only ‘master of music’ there. The man seemed much old. In fact he was not as old as it seemed. But everyone knew that the man’s thinness and everything were the result of an unrestrained lifestyle ! The teeth of that old man had all fallen out.So the cheeks have slipped inside. Guruji secretly said Nagen __ ” What a person, so amusing!!! This is their best artist?? Let’s listen to his song and see!”
As soon as the old gentleman played the harmonium, his co-musician arrived. Seeing him, the audience was also overjoyed and put their hands loudly ! This man was much older and exactly the ditto-type of the old singer [It was heard that they were a couple, no one would sing except another!]. He sat down beside the singer with the ‘tabla’ and first made a sound by “Ghubuta… Ghubuta… Ghubuta” on the left tabla shaking his head heavily . Guru Maharaj immediately looked at Nagen and began to smile secretly ! Guruji was sitting on the stage _ a lot of people were in front of Him.As He was a “Gurudev” ___ so He couldn’t smile openly at that place!!! But also – the incident happened !!
That very singer took the harmonium a little further and while playing ‘tabla’ the other gentleman also took his instrument near the singer. What happened by that __ their face and head came closer ! Then the singer looked at the musician’s bat-like shrunk face and started singing, “Tumi sundor tai cheye thaki priya, seki mor oporadh”( meaning of the song – “You’re very beautiful, so I’m looking at you all time dear ! Is that my fault?”). And the musician also looked at the singer’s eyes in a more loving way and played a sound “Ghubuta… Ghubuta… Ghubuta….” in his tabla !
They were putting their head on each other , they kept their eyes on one another __ they were presenting their music like that way !!!
Guru Maharaj looked at Nagen once and started laughing but stopped immediately with great effort ! Nagen was looking at the other side without looking at Guru Maharaj, just to stop laughing ! Sometimes he just glanced at Guru Maharaj and saw that Guru Maharaj’s face was scarlet red ! Guru Maharaj’s face became like that because He tried to stop bursting of his laughter !
The audience laughed too, but there was no change in the singer or musician ! They were singing in their own way. And sometimes both of their heads got so close that it almost stuck with each other ! And Guru Maharaj forcibly stopped laughing, as a result of that He was making a hiccuping sound !
Finally the song ended. And immediately Guruji jumped and went behind the stage.Nagen also went with him. Then they started laughing – and it was like a bursting laughter !! When one’s laughing was over, another’s laughing was beginning !!
After a long time, when they recovered from this situation, they met the official persons, ate something and went for a night’s rest in the house of a devotee.
Guru Maharaj was just saying __ “That very two men selected that kind of song!!!” _ and laughed!! Saying again _ “Well, are they looking each other as good looking man!!” __again laughed!!!
This incident lasted for a long time. In the sitting(at Banagram Ashram), sometimes Guru Maharaj would tell Nagen to tell everyone about the incident. And Nagen always agreed with that and started to express the whole incident in details. And he made everyone who were present there laugh !![To be continued]…….
[Translated by Rajarsi Basak, a student of class Ten of Dhatrigram and corrected by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]