Lyric and background history of song tomar koti toter dhoti

Parjaay: Natya-geeti (83)

Taal: Jhampak

Raag: Kafi

Written on: 1903 (1321)

Swarabitan: 30

Notation by: Dinendranath Tagore

Notes: This was written on 21st July, 1903 at Almora, and a melody was assigned to it in 1931.

It was written as a preface of ‘Shishu’ a series of poems. It was converted to a song twenty eight years later on the occasion of a program named ‘Geetotsava’. This program, a part of his seventieth birth anniversary, was staged on Madan Theatre and The Palace of Varieties at Kolkata on 14th and 15th September respectively. This program was targeted for ‘Relief for the distressed’. Roma Chakraborty, a student of Shantiniketan has a memory for this song elaborated in her book ‘Bhora thaak smriti-sudhay’ –

... In the first part of ‘Geetotsava’, I can remember a song ‘Tomar Kotitoter Dhoti Ke dilo Rangiya ...’ and accompanying dance by a little boy of three years (as far I can remember – it was perhaps the son of Amiya Tagore). The cute child was flamboyant without any hesitation whatsoever with his moves. The screen behind had a window from where his mother was watching with smile of admiration on her face. It was like movement with expressions – as there was no movements of her feet – only expressions of her face and hands. Sumita Chakraborty had enacted the role of the mother. ...

It was undoubtedly a unique idea to make a kid of three to appear on a public stage. The list of the actors are absent in other documents although references for this program are abundant. If it is true what Roma Chakraborty had claimed with addition of the word ‘perhaps’ in her book – the name of the child is Haimendranath Tagore, son of Hridindranath (and his wife Amiya Tagore), son of Hitendranath, son of Hemendranath, elder brother of Rabindranath.