( The following text was made with the help of open sources, books. Eminent scholar and researcher/ writer on Rabindra Nath Tagore Shri Bikach Chaudhuri helped from Australia to compile most of the references)
The contributions of Tripura Kings –who were known for their vision, intellectual strength, love for arts and literature, music and painting –many of them themselves being renowned poets, painters , musicians- to Santiniketan as well as Gurudev were well known and well documented. However here are some of the contributions given for ready reference.
1) It is well known that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s genius was First recognized by Tripura King Maharaja Birchandra Manikya Bahadur (1839-1897). It was at a time when Gurudev was only in his 20s. It was at that time Maharaja Birchandra Manikya Bahadur had lost his queen Bhanumati Devi and he happened to read ‘Bhagna Hriday’. The Maharja in his saddest moment found solace in the poem and was moved. He could also immediately recognize the brilliance of the future Nobel laureate. The Maharaja who headed the 500 years old Manikya Dynasty sent his Minister, Radharaman Ghosh who also happened to be a scholar of Vaishnava literature, to offer honours to Gurudev at Jorasanko . This was in 1882. It was with this lifelong and close association of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Tripura began. Gurudeb visited Tripura seven times from 1899 to 1926. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was also invited by Maharaja Birchandra to accompany him to Kurseoung in 1894.
2) It was during the Maharaja Birchandra Manikya’s son and next Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur that the relations became more close because of both Gurudev and Maharaja Radhakishore being contemporary.
Right from the inception of Santiniketan 1901 this institution started getting regular financial assistance from Tripura Royals. Radhaakishore also extended grants scholarship and financial assistance to many individuals and organisations at the request of Gurudev. The Royal Tripura grants to Santiniketan and liberal scholarships of Rs 1000 continued for almost 50 years beginning from 1901 to 1949 till the merger of the State with the Union of India.
3. In 1912 when the then Govt of East Bengal and Assam Provincial Govt prohibited wards of Government servant pursuing studies at Santiniketan and Santinektan was facing severe financial crisis it was then Tripura King Maharaja Birendrakishore of Tripura took upon himself to fill up 50% students strength by sending students from Tripura with full scholarship. It may be mentioned here that many a Tripura Royal family member and others from the state studied in Santinekatan with scholarship from the Tripura Kings. Some of them include famous artist Dhirenkrishna Debbarma, Somendranath Dev Barma ( Royal family member), Hrishikesh Dev Varma 1(artist) Hrishikesh Dev Barma (Vishu Thaakur- Royal family member), Asish Dev Varma(Artist) Ramendrakishore Dev Varma(Nani Karta, Royal family member ) Satya Ranjan Basu, Bipul Kanti Saha ( famous artist and disciple of Guru Ramkinkar) Nandres Chandra Dev Barman (Naru Thakur) and Jyotish Dev Barman((British Thakur) two famous students of Santidev Ghosh.
4. Maharaj Birendrakishore and his Son Maharaja Birbikram provided huge amount of money for construction of a hospital and the Sangeet Vaban Building at Santiniketan.
5. Maharja Radhakishore Manikya Maharaja donated scientific instruments for the laboratory of Ashram Vidyalaya at Santiniketan while he went there to pay a visit
6. The Tripura King also sanctioned a monthly sanction of Rs 150/for publication of famous Bengali Journal “Bangadarshan” under the Editorship of Gurudev Rabindranath.
7. In 1939, when the last king of Tripura Maharaja Bir Bikram visited Santiniketan at the invitation of Gurudev he donated Rs 20,000 for extension of the Ashram school and Sangeet Bhavan.
7. The Tripura King also sanctioned a monthly sanction of Rs 50/ for “Sangit Prabeshika” a journal edited by Tagore’s elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore.
8. Not only Santinektan and Visva Bharati but also for many a famous individuals and institutions received financial assistance from the Tripura kings at the request of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. In fact, at the request of Gurudev Tripura King Radhakishore Manikya extended financial help of Rs 50, 000 to Jagadish Chandra Bose for his scientific research. Due to a massive earthquake (1897) there were financial constraints for the Tripura King. Yet, he did not deny the assistance and for that the King even did not buy a neckless for his daughter in law . Let us quote from a letter to Gurudev from Maharaja Radhakishore in Bengali : -“না হয় আমার ভাবি বধুমাতার দু এক প্রস্ত অলঙ্কার কম হইবে কিন্তু তত পরিবর্তে জগদীশ বাবু যে অলঙ্কারেভারতমাতাকে ভূষিত করিবেন জগতে তাহার মূলত অপরিসীম”.
The was indeed curtailment of ornaments for the marriage of Juvraaj. There was evidence that order for a “jarowa” set was cancelled to facilitate funds for Prof J C Bose.
9. Apart from Prof JC Bose the other great Bengal luminaries who received financial assistance from Tripura Kings at the request of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore- these include Lifelong monthly financial grants to two of Bengals most important writers Dinesh Ch Sen and Hemchandra Bandopadhyay- each of them Rs 30 per month, accommodation and liberal financial assistance to the talented Artist Sashi Hesh who was declared an outcast by his family after marrying a European lady.
10. Annual grant to Bramha Vidyalaya @Rs 1000.00
11. The National School at Jadavpur got the scientific equipment from Radhakishore.
12. One full wing of RG was Hospital in Calcutta was constructed with the fund provided by Tripura ruling house.
13. Maharaja Birendrakishore ((1909-1923) ) , son of Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya contributed generously to “Sakhi Samiti” set up by Sarala Debi.The first install ment was Rs 5000.00
14 . It was first Tripura King at the request of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Maharaja Birendrakishore sent first Manipuri dance guru to Santiniketan. Out of 10 Manipuri Gurus during the life time of Tagore six were from Tripura beginning with RK Buddhimanta Singh who first went to Santinektan.
15 . It is well known fact that Gurudev wrote novella Rajarshi and its dramatic adaptation Visarjan based on ancient Tripura king Govinda Manikya.
16. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore , as the scholars pointed out, penned five songs during his visits to Tripura. They are a) Dole dole dole premer dolanchànpà, b) Fàguner nabin ànande, c) Eso àmàr ghare eso, d) Bane jadi futlo kusum and e) âpanhàrà màtoàrà.
17 . It was not only that Maharaja Birchandra Manikya first recognized Gurudev but also in 1941when he reached the age of 80 the last king Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur organized a huge celebration in Agartala and on the occasion the King conferred Gurudev with the title ‘Bharat Bhaskar’ . Gurudev while accepting the honor wrote to Maharaja Bir Bikram
“Today with utmost rejoicings I like to articulate that the short horizon of my ripe age has been radiated by the reflected glow of honour bestowed on me by the royal dignitaries of the princely state of Tripura. There is one particular reason why I feel delighted today. My heart was filled with pride and joy when I read of the uncommon generosity with which the present Maharaja had given shelter to a large number of oppressed and distress-stricken people. Now I can fully appreciate that hereditary royal munificence has been stamped fruitfully in the mind of Bengali people. The time when the great glory of the royal family reached its zenith I happen to receive the honorific title from the hand of the Maharaja of Tripura. Therefore I deem it to be the brightest moment of my life.”
18. When Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore went to visit Java and Bali Dhiren Krishna Debbarman, Suniti Kumar Chatterjee and Surendra Nath Kar accompanied him. Tripura King bore the expense of Dhiren Krishna ( Rs 3000.00). It was on June 28, 1927 Gurudev had sent a telegram to the Maharaja which read , “His Highness, Maharaja Tripura, Agartala, May I seek your help about Dhiren’s expenses approximately three thousand rupees accompanying me to Java, giving him unique opportunity for his artistic career – Rabindra Nath Tagore.”
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The text was part of the letters submitted to Hon’ble VC of Visva Bharati Prof Bidyut Chakrabarty and later to Hon’ble CM Tripura Sri Biplab Kumar Deb by Purvaudaya ( NGO) .
