Kolkata lauds Martin Sheen’s Tagore recital

KOLKATA: That

Tagore

has transcended timeline and time zones was proved once again when Hollywood actor Martin Sheen recited “Where the Mind Is Without Fear” at a climate change protest at a

Fire Drill Fridays

event in Washington DC on January 10. Sheen and ‘

Joker

’ star Joaquin Phoenix were the latest celebrities to be arrested at this week’s Fire Drill Fridays, started by actor Jane Fonda.

Sheen’s India connection goes back to the days of shooting for ‘Gandhi’ in Delhi, Porbandar and Mumbai and for ‘Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain’ in Hyderabad. Tannishtha Chatterjee, his co-actor in ‘Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain’, in which he played the Union Carbide boss, said, “Sheen really believes in things. When we worked in this film, he didn’t do it not only because he was a hired actor but also because he believed the story had to be told. A poet inspires people because he understands universal human predicament. Tagore’s lines inspired Sheen so much that he recited them at the event.” Describing the poem as a Tagore masterpiece, Chatterjee said it was “extremely relevant in a democratic society”. “Sheen’s recitation shows how Tagore has been inspiring people from different cultures across generations, centuries and political histories,” Chatterjee said.

Poet Subodh Sarkar remembered how Sheen recited Tagore in 2016 as well, urging Americans to vote. “I think he has consciously used the word ‘heart’ instead of ‘mind’ in his recitation. It’s incredible that a poem written more than a century ago is still so relevant,” Sarkar said.

Having travelled abroad, poet Srijato is privy to Tagore’s popularity worldwide. “I feel good that on such an occasion, poetry has become the language of protest. That holds true for a student as well as a Hollywood star,” he said. Poet Prabal Kumar Basu agreed: “We have always sought strength from Tagore’s poetry. As a Bengali poet, hearing Sheen’s recitation gave me immense joy. This is how poets contribute to society, breaking the language barrier.”

But Sarkar found “irony” in the timing of the arrest. “The sheer timing of his recitation takes his arrest to a different level,” Sarkar said.