Papi Kondalu or Paapi Hills are a part of the Eastern Ghats through which the river Godavari flows where the width is barely one kilometer with a depth of about 100-130 ft. The panoramic view of the hills is spellbound attraction to the visitors. The scenic view, the grandeur of the hills and the flowing of river Godavari cannot be explained in words. One must visit and experience. The green lush rain forest on the hills reflect in the waters of Godavari add much more beauty to the on looking tourists. There is a legendary story behind Papikondalu is that during vanavasa period Lord Rama and Sita stayed in this region.

One can reach Papikondalu either from Rajahmundry (East Godavari District) or Bhadrachalam (Khammam District). The actual boat journey from Rajahmundry side starts from a small village about 20 kilometers away from a village named Pattisam or Pattiseema. This village is famous for an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Veerabhadraswamy. The journey from this village to Papikondalu takes about three hours in a mechanized boat run by several private boat owners and the A.P. Tourism. The boat takes the tourists up to a village Peranatallapalli. The boat journey gives a pleasure and peace of mind to the visitors with the cool breeze from Godavari waters, and the picturesque view of the hills. From Bhadrachalam side the boat journey starts from a village named Sri Ramgiri or Kunuru about one and half hours Journey from Bhadrachalam. Both Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry are well connected by rail and busses.

For the boat journeys one can hire a boat entirely or can also purchase individual tickets and travel. Generally the fare of the boat journey includes breakfast, lunch and evening snacks. Enjoying the sight seeing of the scenic beauty along with the hospitality and the food served by the boat’s management staff is an experience by itself. One can also enjoy the panoramic view of the hills and the twists of Godavari River by sitting on the terrace of the boat which is an unforgettable experience to anybody. The best period to visit is from September to December where the rain fall is less with optimum waters in the river. If there are rains it is better to avoid the journey.

Places of interest to see on the way to Papikondalu:

1. Pattisam or Pattiseema: The boat journey for Papikondalu starts from this village. It is a small village situated on the banks of river Godavari. A temple is located on the top of a hill for the God Sri Uma Nandeeswara Swamy constructed during 12th century which is worth seeing.

2. Polavaram Project: This can be seen from the top of the hill situated on the back side.

3. Gonduru: The next stop is at Gonduru a small village where a temple was constructed for the Goddess Gandhi Pochamma.

4. Papikondalu: The final stop of the journey to Papikondalu is at a village named Peranatallapalli after viewing the Papikondalu. At this village Sri Ramakrishna Hermitage is worth visiting. A small water fall flowing from the hills can also be seen. Lot of varieties of handicrafts made by the local people is available for sale worth purchasing.

The whole of the Journey from Pattisam to Papikondalu and back takes about six hours which is very exciting and enjoyable one must get experienced.

‘Halibedu’ was the magnificent capital of Hoyasala Empire in twelfth century AD. Now located in Hassan district of Karnataka state about 240 km away from Bangalore city. (4 Hours Drive). The temples at Halibedu and Belur are worth seeing with spectacular art and sculpture.

Hoyasalis ruled Karnataka in 11 to 14 century AD and constructed these two temples to their credit for the beautiful sculpture and art. They used soap stone for construction to enable to carve the intricate details of the sculpture. Because of the splendid art and sculpture UNESCO listed these two temples in World Heritage Site listing.

Belur: Chennakeswara temple is the center of attraction constructed by The King Vishnuwardhan around 11th century. The main shrine in the temple is Kesava (Lord Vishnu). The temple is having symmetrical corners with 42 beautiful maidens in several postures and dance forms (Madanikas). Among them the darpan sundari and the lady with parrot are the popular and of attraction to the visitors.

Halibedu: Halibedu is situated 16 km away from Belur and of best example of Hoyasala architecture. The Hoyasaleswara and Kedareswara temples are two famous temples worth seeing for their splendid architecture and art. Both the temples are constructed with soap stone and exist since more than 1000 years. The temples have intersecting stories, legends and myths. In addition to these two temples the temple complex has two Jain subattas worth seeing. In front of Halibedu temple there is a huge lake and two huge Bull sculptures (Nandis). One archeological museum is also seen in the temple complex worth seeing to know the history of the temples and Hoyasala regime.

Kathak is a classical dance form originated in the Northern part of India. Originally the dance used to be performed by the nomadic bards in village squares and temple areas. These are also referred as story tellers or kathakas. These dances are based on the mythological and moral stories from the sacred scriptures expressing the stories with beautiful recitals, hand gestures and facial expressions. Slowly the art has been shifted to the royal courts due to patronage of the rulers of that period. The dance style became more for entertainment missing the story part. In the Mughal period Kathak has been developed as a sophisticated dance form and the dancers refined the art of dancing with rhythm and stylized mime.

The dance is characterized by rhythmic foot work matching to the percussion instruments like Tabla, Pakhawaj, and dancer performing the dance in a very talented manner displaying a rhythmic wizardry. The movements include a rapid spin of the body ending with a still pose. The interpretative part is the stories of Radha and Krishna. Recognized schools are located in Lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur where the dance is further refined and developed to a high standard. The dance form is now recognized by people allover the world. Kathak reflects both Hindu and Muslim cultures

In the Kathak dance the dancers give importance to the foot work performing more straight legged wearing ankle bells. Contrary to this, in Bharatanatyam the dancers give importance to the hasta mudras. Kathak dances are performed by both men and women. The dancers in Kathak can change their steps according to their skill and style. The famous Kathak dancers are Birju Maharaj and Uma Sharma.

Hridev Ray, Nepal
Proving his merits with the dynamic dance style – Hridev Ray is an ideal example of masculinity entwined with graceful movements amongst the current generation of Kathak dancer. Hridev Ray is a brightest disciple of Guru Nandini Singh Ji and has been learning Kathak at Shri Ram Bharathiya Kalakendra since 2001. Ever since then supported by his Guru Sri Nandini Singh Ji he completed his diploma course at Sri. Ram Bharathiya Kala Kendra, New Delhi. Hridev Ray is a senior diploma, Prabhakar and Praveen Degree holder from Prayag Sangeet Samithi Allahabad.

Hridev has given numerous performances. On November 2004 he gave his first performance; solo Kathak dance at Talkatora Stadium. In the same year he took part in the Mithalia Mahotsav in Nepal (2004-2007) attracted by much audience. He performed dance in Gita Jayanthi Samaroh (2003-2007) with great Guru Sonalman Singh Ji at Kurushetra, Haryana. He also gave performances in Brahan Natyanjali 2007 (Brahadeeswara temple Tanjavur), Hari Das Maha Sammelan in Mathura Vrindavan, Kumbha Mela Utsav, Allahabad with his own Guru Smt. Nandini Singh Ji and in Minjar Mela Mahotsav in Chamba (Himachal Pradesh). On 3rd April 2008 he participated in Padit Durgalal Dance Mahotsav. In the same year he performed in Delhi Art and Cultural International Festival on 4th December 2008. In 2009 he gave performance in Kal Ke Kalakar Surshringar. In 2010 at Bharath Nrithyotsav – International Indian Classical Dance Festival 2010 by Nataraj Music & Dance Academy, Visakhapatnam.

‘Manipuri’ is a unique classical dance form originated in Manipur state of North East region of India. Like the other dances of India Manipuri is also performed in temples as sankeerthnas. The themes of the dances are purely devotional generally performed on religious occasions in temples.’ Rasa Lila’ and ‘Pung Cholm’ are famous Manipuri dances although it covers a wide range of other dance forms. Manipuri dance is said to have been developed in 2 nd century BC but the familiar form of dance has been developed in 15th century AD by several Kings of that time. However in 18th century the dance has been codified by the king Bhagyachandra taking the help of several eminent teachers of the area. At present Manipuri dance is recognized as a classical dance form having high technical standards.

The instruments played are a key part of the dance rather than a side accompaniment. The music in the dance is similar to that of the other dances of north India (Hindustani Music). The ragas and Tals bear different names and style of presentation. The dances based upon the cymbals (Kartal or Manjira) and Mridang or Pung which are used in the dance. The other instruments used are Harmonium, Esraj, Peena, Bansuri and Shank. Songs of the famous poets Jayadev, Gyandas, Vidyapati Chandidas, Govindadas etc are used in Manipuri dance form. The conventional Manipuri dance form is characterized by soft, lyrical and elegant rounded movements avoiding sudden twists or jerks or straight lines movements. In this way the movement of the dancer presents a wavy soft and graceful appearance. The foot movements are a part of the movement of the whole body.

The Rasa Lila is a famous dance form in Manipuri style. The theme is based on the divine love of Lord Krishna with Gopikas.

Pung Cholm is a typical dance of Manipuri style basing on the drum known as Pung or Manipuri Mridang. Dance is performed by men and women prior to the Rasa Lila.

PM Ruvini Silva, Sri Lanka
PM Ruvini Silva is a distinguished Manipuri dancer from Srilanka. She possesses a Bachelor dance degree (Manipur) from Viswa Bharathi University, India. At present she is perusing her studies in the field of music and dance from the same University. She is well versed in Bharata Natyam, Kathakali also. Her specialization is Kandyam dance (Sri Lanka).

Silva has performed in major dance festivals in India and other countries and has many awards in her own field Manipuri. She has specilisation in playing Manipuri and Kandyam drums. She has traveled many countries of the world to exhibit her talent. Many coveted and prestigious awards captured by her.

Warda Rihab, Dakha, Bangladesh
Warda Rihab was introduced into the world of dance and music at a very young age. She got her initial training at Manipuri dance from the well known Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer Smt. Sharmila Benerjee, Tamanna Rehman and Belayet Hossain Khan at Chhayanaut which is one of the most prestigious cultural organizations in Bangladesh.

Later she underwent advanced and special training from the renowned exponent of Manipuri dance Guru Kalavathi Devi who was appointed as the Manipuri dance Guru at the cultural center of the Indian High Commission Dhaka. She got her special training in ‘Pung’ (Mridangam) and “Tan Ta” (Manipuri Martial Art) from Ojha Thoiba Singh and Ojha Ranjeet. She has completed her B.A in Manipuri dance from the Rabindra Bharathi University, Kolkata with ICCR scholarship. She has been awarded Gold medal with the distinctive marks from the music and dance department of Rabindra Bharathi University, Kolkata, India. At present she is pursuing her M.A degree in Manipuri dance from the same university with a scholarship from the Chatyanaut Sangeet Viddayattam Dhaka Bangladesh.

Apart from the M.A she is also pursuing training from Guru Kalavathi Devi and Bimbavathi Devi at Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata a pioneer institution of Manipiri dance in India founded by the legendary Guru Bipin Singh. She has also got special training in Manipuri dance from Smt. Shanthibala Sinha and Smt. Darsana Jhaveri. Warda also completed her MBA from the Dhaka University. She is also working as a teacher of Manipuri dance In Chayanaut Sangeet Viddayattam and BAFA (Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts). She traveled worldwide and exhibited her talent. The special feature about her is she has a lot of command on Tagore’s literature.

Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance form originated in Thanjavoor of Tamilnadu, South India. The dance was originally performed by Devadasis in temples who were dedicated to temples to serve the deities with dance and music. Slowly by 19th century the dance was codified and has been developed and educated people started showing interest in the dance. Today the glory of the dance has spread all over the world. Bharatanatyam derived its name from the basic concepts Bhava (Expression) Raga (Music) Tala (Rhythym) and Natya. The famous brothers of Thanjavoor Ponnayya, Chinnayya, Sinandam and Vativelu have modified the dance and regularized to the present stage. Eminent performers like Rukmini Devi and E.Krishna Iyer revived and created awareness of the magnificence of the dance form. The other greatest performer of the dance Bala Sarawathi also is responsible for popularizing Bharatanatyam.

Performance of the dance: The dance is performed on the stage as ‘Nritham’, ‘Nrityam’ and ‘Natyam’. The dance is based on the steps (Adavu), hand gestures (Hastamudras). The dance starts with offering of prayers to Lord Ganesha and Lord Nataraja. The dance begins with Alaripu, Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Padam and Thillana followed by Mangalaslokam. The dancers wear costumes made with Silk of Kachepuram and Banaras and wear ornaments on head neck ears and hands with a garland with foot trinkets having small bells. The dance is supported by music and vocal songs. The common instruments used in the dance performance are Veena, Flute, Mridangam and Violin. In the dance the dancers use eye and hand movements to express the message and music in a visual form to unite the human soul with the Supreme Being.

Bala Saraswathi, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Rukmini Arundel, Kamala Lakshman, Padma Subramanyam and Chitra Visweswaran are some of the great performers of the dance. Ramayyan Pilla, Panthanaloor Meenakshi Sundaram Pilla and Adayar Laxman are some of the famous Nattuvar (Male Gurus).

Malavika Venkatasubbaiah from Edmonton, Canada

Malavika Venkatasubbaiah is a professional Bharatanatyam artist intensively trained under Lalitha Srinivasan at Nupura school of Bharatanatyam Bangalore. Her experience spans over two decades in course of which she has performed as a solo artist and also in collaborations with various groups. She has been an active performer for over 14 years and is the founder, artistic director of Natyam Dance Academy with the vision of making Indian classical dance more accessible to main stream audience’s world wide.

Malavika dance is noted for its grace which she credits to her Guru Lalitha Srinivasan’s tutelage with whom she trained since 1990 in the Mysore Baani. She studied Indian folk dances as a part of NADAM ensemble under the guidance of Sri. Murali Mohan and
Nandini Mehta, Bangalore. She also had training in Kuchipudi and performed with Gurus Sri. Pasumarthy Venkateswara Sarma, Hyderabad and Smt. Vyjayanthi Kasi, Bangalore. Malavika has further enriched her knowledge through workshops with Gurus Sri Radhakrishna, Smt. Meenakshi Radhakrishna, Sri Kiran Subramanyam, Smt. Sandhya Kiran and Smt. Usha Priyadarshini.

She is a company member of Manohar Performing Arts of Canada, Winnipeg since 2007 in the capacity of a dancer and choreographer. She is also a company member of Nupura School of Bharathanatyam and served as a faculty from 1998 to 2002 and was awarded the best dancer award by Nupura in 2002.

‘Kuchipudi’ is an Indian classical dance drama native and originated from a village Kuchelapuram of Andhra Pradesh in South India since 3rd century BC. It is performed by a combination of dancing and acting of the Hindu epics and mythological tales of Hindu Gods. Originally the dance was performed by men only but at present done mostly by women due to the efforts of great saint Shri Siddendra Yogi who developed the art by formulating certain principles and regulations regarding the movements and improved the quality of the dance. He also concentrated to include women in the dance. Later eminent Gurus like Shri Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry, Chinta Krishna Murthy and several others improved the art and spread the glory of Kuchipudi dance form to great heights throughout the world. The dance is characterized by movements of the hands, body and eyes (Abhinayam) with intricate foot movements to the music and lyrics. The lyrics in the Kuchipudi dance form are generally in Telugu but using Sanskrit lyrics is also not uncommon.

Kuchipudi dance drama is performed with a particular mythological episode or episodes. A solo dancing consists generally ‘Sabdam and ‘Bhamakalapam’ the main item being “Padams and “Tarangams”. Bhamakalapam is very popular and performed with grace and a particular style with a main character ‘Sathyabhama’. In Tarangam the artist performs a balancing the feet on the edge of a brass plate. Now a day in the Kuchipudi dance the drama is missing remaining with only the dance. The dance drama begins with some rituals performed before the audience and the Sutradhara of the conductor of the drama gives the rhythm on the drums and cymbals with support of the musicians and announces the title of the dance drama going to be performed. After the introduction the main dancer enters with a covering by a screen held by two persons and performs the Ganesh Pooja so that the dance goes without any hurdles.

Kuchipidi dance is accompanied by a song with instruments mridangam, flute, violin and tambura. The artists are generally dressed in traditional dress wear jewelry like Rakudi on the head, Danda Vanki on the arm etc with a long plait decorated with flowers and jewelry. Bhamakalapam, Gollakalapam, Prahladacharitum, Sasirekhaparinayam are famous dance dramas played in Kuchipudi dance. Kuchipudi now a day changed very much with several modifications to meet the likings of the viewers.

Indian Kuchipudi Dancer Mangala Maddali from USA

Mangala Muddali started learning Kuchipudi dance since the age of three under the tutelage of late Smt. Vidya Murthy of Hyderabad and then continued her training under the able guidance of Smt. Revathi Komanduri and Sri. Vempati Ravi Shankar.

Mangala has performed several programs, festivals along with her Gurus in both India and United States. In 2004 Mangala toured in United States with Guru Padmabhushan Dr.Vempati China Satyam and gave her performance in 40 cities. In 2006 Mangala received a level one National Award in Kuchipudi from the National Foundation for Advancement of Arts in USA. She also participated in 2006 Siddendra Yogi Kuchipudi Mahostav, held in Kuchipudi. Mangala has performed with various eminent artists in many cities across India and USA.

Indian Kuchipudi Dancer Rajyashree Ramesh from Berlin, Germany

Rajyashree Ramesh is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer and master teacher living in Germany since 1977. She received early training in Bharatamatyam and Kuchipudi from Smt.G.S Rajalakshmi and Vidwan Lokaiah in Bangalore, where she passed Karnataka state exams in 1972. Renowned Gurus Smt.Savitri Jagannadha Rao, Padma Vibhushan Dr. Vempati China Satyam, Padmavibhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayan and Sri Vedantam Ramu later nurtured her style.
Beginning her performing career at the age of 9 at Ravindra Kalashetra State theater in Bangalore, this versatile artist, researcher, movement analyst, singer and writer has in her dance career spanning over four decades presented several performances, lectures, workshops and radio/TV/ news paper interviews worldwide, receiving praise for her “rare grace refinement and faultless technique, high expressive power” “sublime graceful expression” and “grace and precision”. She has written various articles in German and English and has groomed several dancers of European origin at her academy for performing arts in Germany and Lithuania, who are drawing attention due to grace and precision. Rajashree’s dance signature is unique in its multidimensional approach, enhanced by her association with artists of various disciplines and her interaction with several cultures. She is a certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement analyst, currently pursuing research on the ancient Indian dances.

‘Odissi’ is an Indian classical dance form native to Orissa state of India. It is one of the oldest classical dance form closely related to the temple sculpture. The dance is characterized by typical bending of the body into three parts i.e., head, trunk and torso called ‘Tribanghi’. The dance combined with the Sanskrit poetry and the rhythmic movements of the dancers to the music creates a spellbound view to the spectators. In the recent years the Odissi dance has been developed by the enthusiastic artists, choreographers and gurus who brought an immense glory.

Before 17th century the Odissi dance was held in high esteem due to the active support from the royal rulers. After 17th century the dance suffered seriously due to a low level view of the dancers and underwent slow decline. After India gained independence the government took up measures to restore the past glory and the cultural heritage of the dance by taking several measures. Since then the dance form gained importance and the glory rose to a great level. Now it gained a national identity for the dance and several people from allover the world are trying to learn the dance.

The Odissi dance is based on the themes which are entirely religious and revolve around the Lord Krishna. Bhakta Jayadev’s Asthapathis are also very popular themes n Odissi dance. The dance is generally accompanied by several musical instruments like Madal which resembles ‘Mridangam’ with slight changes, Bansuri (Bamboo Flute) Manjira (Metal cymbals) Sitar and Tanpura.

About the Dancers:

Chloe Romero – France
After years of ballet and rhythmic gymnastics practice Chloe Romero discovered the beauty of the Odissi dance at the age of 15. She started learning in France and UK, where she had the opportunity to learn from various teachers including famous danseuses Sujatha Mahopatra and Madhavi Mudgal.

She then decided to visit directly Orissa the birth place of Odissi dance. Passionate by this dance form, she undertook intensive training under the tutelage of Guru Lingaraj Swain and Padmashree Guru Ganghadhara Pradhan eminent masters of the dance form. In order to deepen her approach she settled for two years in Orissa and took classes of Mardal (Odissi drum) under renowned Guru Banamali Maharana. Chloe Romero performs the classical Odissi repertoire as well as new choreographies composed by her teachers. She performed in various venues in France and Europe and conducted many workshops for all types of students. She also took part in the creation of a book on Indian dance in Spanish published by Cabriolé Dansa.

Chloe at present is engaged in promoting Indian Classical dance in the west organizing workshops and annual dance festivals. Rencontres de la danse Indienne, is the first of its kind in Europe. She got many prestigious awards to her credit.

Chloe Romero Odissi Dance Videos

Irina Komissarova – Russia
Irina Komissarova is a disciple of Smt. Sujatha Mahapatra. Irina began her learning Odissi 8 years ago in Moscow, Russia. At present, she is one of the leading soloists among the members of “Odissi Jivan Nritya” dance studio (Leader- Vitalina Lobach, Smt. Madhavi Mudgal’s disciple). The main goals of the studio are teaching Odissi in Moscow, organization of dance programmes, seminars and workshops in Odissi dance.

Irina has participated in various classical dance productions in both in Russia and India including the 20th Annual day celebration of Kamala Kala Pitha 2005 and 2007 promoted Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena.

In Moscow Irina teaches Odissi dance to junior students. She is also occupied with teaching English and translating. Irina has a degree in linguistics, the English language studies.

In 2007 and 2008 she won the first place at the Open content among Indian Dance Artists in Moscow and in 2009 she became a member of the jury of this contest.

Every year she comes to India to undergo training in Odissi under the guidance of her Guru Smt. Sujatha Mohopatra. She is also contributing to the organization of workshops conducted by Smt. Sujatha Mahopatra in Moscow.

Irina Komissarova Odissi Dance Video

Mind Without Fear
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action—
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Give Me Strength
This is my prayer to thee, my lord—strike,
strike at the root of penury in my heart.
Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.
Give me the strength never to disown the poor
or bend my knees before insolent might.
Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.
And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.

Strong Mercy
My desires are many and my cry is pitiful,
but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals;
and this strong mercy has been wrought into my life through and through.
Day by day thou art making me worthy of the simple,
great gifts that thou gavest to me unasked—this sky and the light, this body and the
life and the mind—saving me from perils of overmuch desire.
There are times when I languidly linger
and times when I awaken and hurry in search of my goal;
but cruelly thou hidest thyself from before me.
Day by day thou art making me worthy of thy full acceptance by
refusing me ever and anon, saving me from perils of weak, uncertain desire.

When Day Is Done
If the day is done,
if birds sing no more,
if the wind has flagged tired,
then draw the veil of darkness thick upon me,
even as thou hast wrapt the earth with the coverlet of sleep
and tenderly closed the petals of the drooping lotus at dusk.
From the traveler,
whose sack of provisions is empty before the voyage is ended,
whose garment is torn and dust-laden,
whose strength is exhausted,
remove shame and poverty,
and renew his life like a flower under the cover of thy kindly night.

Journey Home
The time that my journey takes is long and the way of it long.
I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light, and pursued my
voyage through the wildernesses of worlds leaving my track on many a star and planet.
It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself,
and that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter simplicity of a tune.
The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own,
and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.
My eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said `Here art thou!’
The question and the cry `Oh, where?’ melt into tears of a thousand
streams and deluge the world with the flood of the assurance `I am!’

Purity
Life of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body pure, knowing
that thy living touch is upon all my limbs.
I shall ever try to keep all untruths out from my thoughts, knowing
that thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind.
I shall ever try to drive all evils away from my heart and keep my
love in flower, knowing that thou hast thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart.
And it shall be my endeavour to reveal thee in my actions, knowing it
is thy power gives me strength to act.

Friend
Art thou abroad on this stormy night
on thy journey of love, my friend?
The sky groans like one in despair.
I have no sleep tonight.
Ever and again I open my door and look out on
the darkness, my friend!
I can see nothing before me.
I wonder where lies thy path!
By what dim shore of the ink-black river,
by what far edge of the frowning forest,
through what mazy depth of gloom art thou threading
thy course to come to me, my friend?

Patience
If thou speakest not I will fill my heart with thy silence and endure it.
I will keep still and wait like the night with starry vigil
and its head bent low with patience.
The morning will surely come, the darkness will vanish,
and thy voice pour down in golden streams breaking through the sky.
Then thy words will take wing in songs from every one of my birds’ nests,
and thy melodies will break forth in flowers in all my forest groves.

Let Me Not Forget
If it is not my portion to meet thee in this life
then let me ever feel that I have missed thy sight
—let me not forget for a moment,
let me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams
and in my wakeful hours.
As my days pass in the crowded market of this world
and my hands grow full with the daily profits,
let me ever feel that I have gained nothing
—let me not forget for a moment,
let me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams
and in my wakeful hours.
When I sit by the roadside, tired and panting,
when I spread my bed low in the dust,
let me ever feel that the long journey is still before me
—let me not forget a moment,
let me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams
and in my wakeful hours.
When my rooms have been decked out and the flutes sound
and the laughter there is loud,
let me ever feel that I have not invited thee to my house
—let me not forget for a moment,
let me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams
and in my wakeful hours.

Silent Steps
Have you not heard his silent steps?
He comes, comes, ever comes.
Every moment and every age,
every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes.
Many a song have I sung in many a mood of mind,
but all their notes have always proclaimed,
`He comes, comes, ever comes.’
In the fragrant days of sunny April through the forest path he comes,
comes, ever comes.
In the rainy gloom of July nights on the thundering chariot of clouds
he comes, comes, ever comes.
In sorrow after sorrow it is his steps that press upon my heart,
and it is the golden touch of his feet that makes my joy to shine.

Lost Time
On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time.
But it is never lost, my lord.
Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts,
buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed
and imagined all work had ceased.
In the morning I woke up
and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.

Sit Smiling
I boasted among men that I had known you.
They see your pictures in all works of mine.
They come and ask me, `Who is he?’
I know not how to answer them. I say, `Indeed, I cannot tell.’
They blame me and they go away in scorn.
And you sit there smiling.
I put my tales of you into lasting songs.
The secret gushes out from my heart.
They come and ask me, `Tell me all your meanings.’
I know not how to answer them.
I say, `Ah, who knows what they mean!’
They smile and go away in utter scorn.
And you sit there smiling.

Complete List of 103 Gitanjali Poems

Rabindranath Tagore brought laurels to India by being the first Indian to win Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. His contribution to Bengali literature and music is remembered for ever. Displaying the talent at a very tender age of 8 with poems, he went on to create history in the form of short stories and dramas. Founder of Vishwa Bharathi University, he also wrote National Anthem for India ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and Bangladesh ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’.

While there are many best works from his stable, a few can always represent the balance. They are ‘Gitanjali’, ‘Gora’ and ‘Ghare Bhaire’. ‘Gitanjali’ is specifically addressed here.

‘Gitanjali’ is a collection of 103 different Bengali poems mostly translated into English by Rabindranath Tagore. ‘Gitanjali’ means ‘Offer to the Almighty with songs’. W.B. Yeats published the first volume in 1913 and from there on it underwent numerous changes.

These poems were taken from different Bengali works like Gitmallo, Noibeddo, Khea as well as other small ones. But the major contribution is from the original Bengali work “Gitanjali” which was written in 1905. The specialty of this ‘Gitanjali’ is that it is one of the most translated set of poems in various languages like Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Polish, Turkish, Czech, Russian, Armenian, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Pashto and Urdu.

Gitanjali Book Cover Scans

Image Credits: Ragalahari