November 26-celebration of birth anniversary of Geetiswami Gokulananda

Within a month of Sri Sri Bhubaneswar Sadhu Thakur`s janma mahutsav, on last 30th October, Bhishnupriya Manipuris are again getting ready with another janma utsav of late Gokulananda Geetiswami, on 26thNovember 2008 in Assam, Tripura and Bangladesh.

By Rebati Mohan Sinha, Mumbai

He was born in year 1886, on 26th November in a village called Madhavpur of Bhanugachh in Bhanubil, Bangladesh. He studied up to class 8th standard and could not continue further due to domestic problems; his desire of learning always remained with him for which he was able to set up a primary school at village Ratachhera inTripura after shifting of his residence from Bhanubil in 1925.

Geetiswami Gokulananda was known as a menestral entertainer (bhramyaman gayak);but he was a social reformer, a dramatist, a poet ,a minstrel. His life bears a testimony to all these qualities. He always thought of upliftment of backwardness of his community. Those days there were primary schools in nearby villages; but Bishnupriya Manipuri students were never sent in those schools for fear of loosing their sanctity, once they sat along with non Bishnupriya Manipuris. Our boys went to gurukuls for learning of devotional songs (Ishalpa-Dohar),mridong badan, gold smithy and Sanskrit at tol(school). Such was the trend prevailing in those days. Gokulananda foresaw that without the proper education no society can progress, so he decided to propagate his feeling through his poems and songs ie he set tunes in such a way on his own lyrics and went on singing from village to village, that people there would deeply moved and listened him quietly.

“Ruhi britti moutup koria dhoria thoile nakortoi,

Sotyo treta ruhi haanou koliyuge na choltoi.

Kale kale kalor kotha na hunani nakorer,

Jwigoi bon haan puria aanle kachai mojai nathorer.

It is like…’if we continue follow the age old custom blindly, it will lead us nowhere and the custom of Sotya and Treta yug also will not hold good in koliyug.’ ‘Never defy in gradual change of time, wild fire does not leave anything in the forest whether it is dry or wet.

During his time our Podo kirtonis sang in traditional Brojobuli language, where as Gokulananda started singing kirton in our language utilizing his talent in propagating his ideas to Bishnupriya Manipuri masses. He became so popular among masses with his kind appeal, the young and olds listened to him in spell bound condition. Because of all these qualities Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Mahasabha in its 1935 session conferred on him the title “Geetiswami.”

He had a great respect for women folk for which he always believed in their dress code while they go in public places. Whenever he saw women being criticized in village market he became very upset ,so he persuaded them not to go for marketing. He wrote for them…..

“Jela eta ki bostuhaan haarnapeitarata, Deshey pondit neita?”

It can be put in this way…..’people do not know of what women substance is, Isn`t there any literate around to know them?’ It means, people never used to give due respect to women folk. He wrote for the women the following lines…

Yuge yuge cheita jelai jingesita

Shoktite Bhobani bidyai Binapani

Dhairiate Dhoroni Bhoktite Brojo gopini

Auter ongsho kala oiya paahurlai nijor shokti

He had written for the people, those were suffering from the complexes i.e. ego.

Nijor ghore nije raja,

Miaange dadee bulani.

The meaning…You think, you are a king at home, and when you are out, people call you dadee. Dadi is a derogatory word used for addressing a lower caste person.

In another poem he exhorted our Bishnupriya Manipuri community to awake and see how far are we behind others. He wrote…

Oggyan aadharorma ghumitai koti,

Utho aaji haabihan jwoleya chei gnyanon bati.

The meaning….How long you remain asleep in the darkness of ignorance, get up and see with light of knowledge. He wrote for ima Bishnupriya…..

Ima ima tor mohima

Kita mattu sougo me

Imar sneho sindhu khudro eka bindu

Hujaanir kaaje bulia,

Deshe deshe giya imar gun gaan geya

Pagolgor sade bulouri.

He was an one-man Army of social reformer, propagating his revolutionary ideas, but most people misunderstood him for whom he wandered from one village to another, singing those songs. Later he was very much disgusted and wrote …..

Kaar kaaje kadourita

Akgoyou haar napeila

Hobaar kaaje maattegate

Aarak ahan ningkorla

Not a single soul understands me for whom I am crying, when I say for their good, they feel otherway. Later he became an elected representative of communist party in 1950 in the then Territorial of Tripura. The great son of mother Bishnupriya died in year 1962 July 10.We have not forgotten his great services rendered to the society.

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