Page:Works of Tagore from the Modern Review, 1909-24 Segment 1.pdf/20

26 of the angry Siva. When the peons were leaving with thunder in their eyes, he looked at them languishingly as much as to say—"You know every thing, gentlemen, it is not my fault."

The Congress was to be held at Calcutta this year. Nilratan went down to the metropolis with his wife to attend the sittings. Navendu accompanied them.

As soon as they arrived at Calcutta, the Congress party surrounded Navendu and their delight and enthusiasm knew no bounds. They cheered him, honoured him and extolled him up to the skies. Everybody said that unless leading men like him devoted themselves to the cause, there was no hope for the country. Navendu was disposed to agree with them and emerged as a leader of the country out of the chaos of mistake and confusion. When he entered the Congress Pavilion on the first day, every body stood up, and shouted "Hip, hip, hurrah" in a loud outlandish voice, hearing which our Motherland reddened with shame to the root of her ears.

In due time the Queen's birthday came, Navendu's name was not found in the list of Rai Bahadurs.

He received an invitation from Labanya for that evening. When he arrived there, Labanya with great pomp and ceremony presented him with a robe of honour and with her own hand put a mark of red sandal paste on the middle of his forehead. Each of the other sisters threw round his neck a garland of flowers woven by herself. Decked in a pink Saree and dazzling jewels his wife Arunlekha was waiting in a side room, her face lit up with smiles and blushes. Her sisters rushed to her and placing another garland in her hand, persisted that she also should come and do her part in the ceremony—but she would not listen to it—and that principal garland, cherishing a desire for Navendu's neck, waited for the still and cosiness of midnight, holding its soul in secret patience.

The sisters said to Navendu—"To-day we crown thee King. Such honour will not be possible for anybody else in Hindoostan."

Whether Navendu derived any consolation from this, he alone can tell—but we greatly doubt it. We do believe that he will become a Rai Bahadur before he has done and the Englishman and the Pioneer will write heart-rending articles lamenting his demise. So, in the meanwhile, Three Cheers for Babu Purnendu Sekhar! Hip, hip, hurrah—Hip, hip, hurrah—Hip, hip, hurrah.

HEN on the 25th February I got three months' hard labor, and once again embraced my brother Indians and my son in the Volksrust Jail, I little thought that I should have had to say much in connection with my third "pilgrimage" to the jail, but with many other human assumptions, this too proved to be false. My experience this time was unique, and what I learnt therefrom I could not have learnt after years of study. I consider these three months invaluable. I saw many vivid pictures of passive resistance, and I have become, therefore, a more confirmed resister than what I was three months ago. For all this, I have to thank the Government of this place (the Transvaal).

Several officers had betted this time that I should not get less than six months. My friends—old and renowned Indians—my own son—had got six months and so I too was wishing that they might win their bets. Still I had my own misgivings, and they proved true. I got only three months, that being the maximum under the law.

After going there, I was glad to meet Messrs. Dawood Muhammad, Rustamji, Sorabji, Pillay, Hajura Sing, Lal Bahadur Sing and other "fighters." Excepting for about ten all others were accommodated in tents, pitched in the jail compound, for