By the Rio De La Plata

• A glimpse into the unique romance between Rabindrantah Tagore and Victoria Ocampo.
• A look at how love inspires poetry and poetry inspires love so that life becomes a work of art.

A fictional reconstruction of the love story of Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria Ocampo with the immortal Gitanjali at the centre.

The story starts in the year 1911 and stretches over a span of eleven years, ending in 1924. In those eleven years our story takes us from Kolkata to Shantiniketan, to Shilaidaha, and then on a voyage across the ocean to San Isidro, Argentina.

The twain meet, almost when the story is drawing to a close, by the Rio de la Plata, bridging the chasm of a long wait. Rabindranath, sixty-three and Victoria, thirty-four, like rose petals scattered by a gale, take shelter under the same roof for two long months. Rabindranath finds a new name for his beloved Victoria he calls her Bijoya and composes paeans of deep love that he feels for her. Victoria heals him with her devotion, inspires him, reveres him, bestows her love on him and finally surrenders to his love.

This is a story about two great souls, their vanity, mutual respect, their differences, their closeness, discord and finally union.

Ranjan Bandyopadhyay combines the gusto of a journalist with the acumen of a scholar. He has distinguished himself in belles lettres as well as fiction.

About the Translator

Soma Ghosh is a journalist by training and a writer by choice. She blogs for one of the leading dailies of India, Times of India, at indiatimes.com. By the Rio de la Plata is her second translation.