Ancient Tapovan Imagination and Two Selected Rabindra Ballads towards Modern Ecocentrism Concepts – An Appraisal/ আধুনিক ইকোসেন্ট্রিসম্‌ ধারণার নিরিখে প্রাচীন তপোবনের কল্পনা এবং নির্বাচিত দুটি রবীন্দ্র গীতিনাট্য : একটি মূল্যায়ন

Abstract

Through this research article two selected Geetinatya (musical dramas) of Rabindranath Tagore i.e. Kalmrigaya and Balmiki Pratibha have been discussed with reference to Tagore’s imagination and illustration of forest-scenario especially the ancient concept of ‘Tapovana’ of India (i.e. the forest for meditation, austerities etc.) which have been intermingled with his thought about nature and modern environmental concept.

             Today, we know that, the excessive growth of Industrialization and urbanization is one of the major causes of depletion of forest cover from our mother earth. Therefore, according to the concept of ‘Ecocentrism’ of modern environmental philosophy imposing the recognition of intrinsic value on nature and thought of conservation of forest are very much important and all these ideas are very much akin to our oriental spiritual thoughts and concept of Tapovana. Particularly, in our Indian Sanskrit literature and drama the representation of ‘Tapovana’ was very much common and ‘Tapovana’ was considered to be the place of good harmonious interaction between human and nature and moreover nature was being worshipped there as God. On the other hand, the term Anthropocentrism (western view) is totally found to be reverse and against nature and environment. Therefore, the myth of ‘Tapovana’ is not irrelevant in the context of today’s modern environmental thoughts. So, the main objective of this research article is to enquire as to how Rabindranath Tagore as a successor of such tradition, attempted to unify those Indian traditional values with today’s modern environmental thoughts related to human-nature relationship and how he tried to channelize this idea through his excellent and unique literary thoughts and imagination of forest on his two well-known Geetinatya Kalmrigaya and Balmiki Pratibha.