In response to daily post’s one- word prompt : Infinite
If I were to think of writing something using the word, ‘Infinite,’ there are two famous personalities, I can write about. One is, Bengal’s favorite son, Rabindranath Tagore, and second, Allama Mohammed Iqbal, the poet from Punjab.
Their endless contribution to literature, art, and philosophy is mind boggling to me. Their unbounded energy in their craft, did not end after their death, but lives on in the hearts of the people in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
I spend many hours listening to songs of Tagore, and wonder what a truly wonderful man he was to leave volumes of his work for us to enjoy.
Besides songs, he has written many poems. One of his poem was about an old servant, by old I do not mean aged but he was with the family for a long time.
He describes him as foolish, and an unappealing man , who always got into trouble with the mistress of the house. He was unmindful, absent minded, the characteristics that annoyed the mistress of the house, who wanted to get rid of him. But the poet had tremendous love for him. Maybe he saw something his wife ignored.
In the end he tells us how this ignorant man took care of his master when he was sick. There are many poems I have read by Tagore, but this one made me sad. In a very clever way he portrayed the lives of the poor servants and how they’re treated by the mistress of the house.
I studied Iqbal long after I finished my studies, in an online course which I accidentally found out on the internet. Like Tagore he used his never-ending energy to instill in his people the importance of working hard and feeling good about themselves. Though he is no longer with us, his huge work still keeps us motivated.
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Sabethville 