Meaning of Poem Janmantor by Rabindranath Tagore

Ami cherei dite raji achi susovwotar alok,
Ami chain a hote nobobonge nobojuger chalok.
Ami nai ba gelam bilat,
Nai-ba pelam rajar khilat-
Jodi porojonme pai re hote brojer rakhal balok
Tobe nibea debo nijer ghore susovwotar alok..

Jara nitwa kebol dhenu choray bongshi boter tole,
Jara gunjaphooler mala genthe pore poray gole,
Jara brindaboner bone
Sodai shyamer banshi shone,
Jara jomunate jhanpea pore shitol kalo jole,
Jara nitwa kebol dhenu choray bongshi boter tole..

Ore, bihan holo jago re vai, dako porospore-
Ore, oi je dodhimonthodhoni uthlo ghre ghore.
Hero mather pothe dhenu
Chole urea gokhur-renu,
Hero anginate brojer bodhu dugdho dohon kore.
Ore, bihan holo, jago re vai dako porospore..

Ore shangon-megher chaya pore kalo tomal-mule,
Ore, epar opar andhar holo kalindiri kule.
Ghate gopangona dore
Kanpe kheya torir pore,
Hero kunjobone nache moyur kolapkahni tule.
Ore, shangon-megher chaya pore kalo tomal-mule..

Mora nobo-nobin phagun-rate neel nodir tire
Kotha jabo choli ashok bone, shikhipucho-shire!
Jobe dolay phoolorashi
Dibe niposakhay koshi,
Jobe dokhin-baye banshir dhoni uthbe akash ghire,
Mora rakhal mile korbo mela neel nodir tire..

Ami hobo na, vai, nobobonge nobojuger chalok,
Ami jalabo na andhar deshe susovwotar alok.
Jodi nonichanar ganye
Kotaho ashokniper chaye
Ami kono jonme pari hote brojer gopobalok,
Tobe chain a hote nobobonge nobojuger chalok..

Background:
The poem, janmantar is a creation of Rabindranath Tagore. This poem is to call the people towards their own root. When the country is fighting for their independence the poet writes this poem to aware those people about their present status. The civilization was changing at that time and people are flowing with those changes, so poet creates this poem to keep those people in touch of their earth. The poet take the help of nature and some imagery of Bengali culture to bound the people in their world.

The poem has some connection with the search for independence of India but the poem mainly wants to stuck people in their own culture and people should support their culture. Thus they can make a better civilization. The poet sees the present time attentively and then writes the poem to call people and help their culture to grow more.

Structure of the poem :
Regular meter is present in the poem and there is a rhythm in each two line. The poem is medium in length and there are six paragraphs present in the poem. Every paragraph has different emotions but the whole point of creating the poem is singularly present in the poem. The poem wants to express the beauty of Bengali culture in different paragraphs. There is another attraction in the poem, the first line of a certain paragraph has repeated at the end of that paragraph. This repetition doesn’t create boredom or predictability anywhere because this perfectly fit with the flow and enriches the inner meaning. Thus the poem creates a different language and takes the creation at high level.

Analysis :
"Ami cherei dite raji achi susovwotar alok,
Ami chain a hote nobobonge nobojuger chalok.
"
The poet starts his calling from the first line of the first paragraph of this poem. The poet directly says here that he agrees to leave the light of modernisation and he doesn’t want to be the driver of new period.

"Ami nai ba gelam bilat,
Nai-ba pelam rajar khilat-
"
Here the poet refuses the call of touch the land of foreign and friendship of the king. Here he takes the imagery of king and use the word ‘Raja’ (king) to describe rulers.

"Jodi porojonme pai re hote brojer rakhal balok
Tobe nibea debo nijer ghore susovwotar alok..
"
Here he compares a normal boy of a village with a smart boy of modern culture and says to be like that beautiful villager. At the last line of this paragraph the poet repeats the words ‘susovwotar alok’ to say people to put out the light of globalization from their residents. The repetition perfectly carries with the flow and the inner meaning reaches at deep level of heart. The poet directly calls the people to stay away from the globalization in this first stanza.

"Jara nitwa kebol dhenu choray bongshi boter tole,
Jara gunjaphooler mala genthe pore poray gole,
"
Form the first line to the last line of second stanza, the poet always describes the astonishing elements of Bengal. The description of natural beauty and change of those beauties with different time of a day comes here.

"Jara brindaboner bone
Sodai shyamer banshi shone,
"
The Banyan tree, flowers, forest of love, flute of god of love (Krishna) comes in this stanza with rhythm and raise the emotion in top level.

"Jara jomunate jhanpea pore shitol kalo jole,
Jara nitwa kebol dhenu choray bongshi boter tole..
"
The poet describes the river as mother of culture and brought here which makes the motif of the paragraph successful.

"Ore, bihan holo jago re vai, dako porospore-
Ore, oi je dodhimonthodhoni uthlo ghre ghore.
"
This is the third part of the poem and the poet highlights the change of the beauty with time here. The first line says that the morning comes and people wake up at early morning. There are sounds started at every home, so now should every people come round and call your friends to come for works.

"Hero mather pothe dhenu
Chole urea gokhur-renu,
"
There are some people who have already started to do their works and the rests who are still not raised, they have to wake up and go for works with full energy.

"Hero anginate brojer bodhu dugdho dohon kore.
Ore, bihan holo, jago re vai dako porospore..
"
This line says to awake the inner part of mankind because this is the perfect time for fighting. The freedom is the ideal felicitation of the ladies of the country. So wake up and jump in the field of freedom.

"Ore shangon-megher chaya pore kalo tomal-mule,
Ore, epar opar andhar holo kalindiri kule.
"
The fourth stanza is another description of time and the beauty of nature in evening is present here. The shadow of clouds fall on the root of tree and the shadow is being deep slowly and spread all around. The both side of river covered by those shadows and evening starts.

"Ghate gopangona dore
Kanpe kheya torir pore,
"
The activities of the area change with transformation of time. The boat starts to tremble at the side of the river.

"Hero kunjobone nache moyur kolapkahni tule.
Ore, shangon-megher chaya pore kalo tomal-mule..
"
The peacock begins dancing with joy. Thus the beauty changes and show different attractive images. This paragraph is a comparison also and the poet compares a dissimilar beauty of a culture through some amazing images.

"Mora nobo-nobin phagun-rate neel nodir tire
Kotha jabo choli ashok bone, shikhipucho-shire!
"
This is the fifth paragraph and the last one of sub-dude comparison. Here the poet describes the beauty of a new night of spring. There is a forest at the riverside and the forest is an ideal place for love.

"Jobe dolay phoolorashi
Dibe niposakhay koshi,
"
The poet saw the beauty of that forest at night and at a certain area of that forest is most beautiful according to the poet. So he wants go there with his companion. There the bunch of flowers will quiver.

"Jobe dokhin-baye banshir dhoni uthbe akash ghire,
Mora rakhal mile korbo mela neel nodir tire..
"
The melodious sound of flute will come with the air and spread all around. Thus the ideal atmosphere of love will be made and there is no other place like this for people.

"Ami hobo na, vai, nobobonge nobojuger chalok,
Ami jalabo na andhar deshe susovwotar alok.
"
The last and the sixth stanza draw the balance line of comparison and spirit of the poem. The poet starts this stanza with a big no to globalization and refuses to be the driver of new culture and then he denies switching the light of rejuvenation of culture from his country.

"Jodi nonichanar ganye
Kotaho ashokniper chaye
"
The poet imagines a village where the beautiful trees and the pleasant shadows are present.

"Ami kono jonme pari hote brojer gopobalok,
Tobe chain a hote nobobonge nobojuger chalok..
"
Poet wants to born as a normal boy of village where the trees and rivers are active and if it can happen then the poet agrees to stay away from the array of civilization.

Summary :
The poem calls the people bound to their own culture and felicitates their own root. So the poet directly encourages people to refuse the call of modern civilization and he gives some emotional information. The poet compares two state of culture but doesn’t take any direct way. He just shares his observation of Bengal and from morning to day and night, the villages of Bengal change, this is very attractive to the poet. So he says to live at their place and refuse all calls from outside.
Importance of the poem

The urge of keeping the vibrancy of a culture is true. The poet calls those people who are getting carried away from their self. The poem written before the independence of India, so the call for freedom fighters is there in the poem also. This poem is very important to aware the civilization.

Here you will find the Recitation of the Poem by Bratati

References: Works of Rabindranath Tagore in Wiki