Ravindranath Tagore and University Meeting

Rabindranath Tagore, the world poet Rabindranath Tagore.

A learned, intelligent intellectual.

Right? A scholar.

In 1912, a large meeting was held at Gorer Math. Not a meeting like this.

At Gorer Math.

A huge meeting.

Ramesh Chandra Majumdar wrote of it, "Even those who never

go to any meetings or processions filled Gorer Math

completely."

At that Gorer Math,

in March 1912,

a gathering much larger than that meeting was held at Gorer Math.

Its president was the world poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Do you know what the meeting was for?

The meeting was held because

the British government had then

proposed establishing a university in Dhaka, a university.

In Dhaka. Kolkata already existed then.

A university would be established in Dhaka.

So, at that meeting, the president was the world poet Rabindranath

Tagore. A proposal was passed there that the

British government should not establish a university in Dhaka.

Why, tell me?

All around Dhaka

Most Muslims live in East Bengal. There

if there's a university, Muslims will learn to read and write.

If Muslims become educated, then

Quaid-e-Azam's

status is gone, his standing is gone, his respect is gone.

A Muslim's son becomes a doctor, a Namasudra's son becomes a doctor. Even a Babu's son

becomes a doctor. Does a Babu's caste retain its status?

A Babu's caste retains no status.

So

people like Rabindranath Tagore— I'm mentioning his name because he

is revered by us all. He is revered for other reasons. But when

we discuss this matter, the real

thing inside it becomes quite

clear, doesn't it?

Do you know how many times they petitioned the British government?

The Babus here. Which Babus?

Those who, in the fifties, blocked those Muslim reservations, two hundred

ninety-two, two hundred ninety-three, two hundred ninety-six of them.

They submitted memoranda 18 times.

Eighteen times. So that

there would be no university in Dhaka.