Six

Sarala Devi recalled the moment she accompanied Rabindranath to a meeting, which was her first ever attendance at a public meeting. The venue of this meeting was the hall of the Adi Brahmo Samaj; the purpose was for Rabindranath to protest against an observation of Bankimchandra. The theme of this debate is indeed most sensitive, and remains perpetually a controversial issue. With an uncompromising stand in his speech, Rabindranath seemed to have discovered Bankim's 'Achilles' Heel' where he tried to target Bankim. Rabindranath's uncompromising attitude to truth, expounded in his speech, made a profound impression on the younger generation and loyalty to the truth became indelibly etched deep in the hearts. The line between truth and untruth is well-defined; even so there may be mitigating situations where some compromises are inevitable and permissible in the interest of certain noble motives. Sarala's excessive adulation for Rabi-mama made her an adversary of Bankim, unnecessarily.