Why Tagore matters

Tagore is a "world poet", yet his heart and soul were rooted in this region. For us it is easy to relate to the characters and images, contexts and themes which remain incredibly contemporary

“Who are you, a hundred years from today, reading my poetry with curiosity?”
   - Rabindranath Tagore

Well as many as 155 years have passed since his birth–just a few days back his birth anniversary was celebrated by Bengalis across the globe– and 75 since his death but people are still reading not just his poems but novels, short stories, essays, letters, et. Interest in Tagore and Tagoriana has not dimmed a wee bit over all these years. On the contrary Tagore has become integral component of Bengali identity. In the late 1960s when the authorities banned playing Rabindra Sangeet on Radio Pakistan Bengalis were enrages. The ban actually helped people remember how important the great man was for our nation. Tagore's poetry and songs became symbols of Bengalis’ separate identity.
All of Tagore’s work — poems, short stories, songs, novels, plays and letters — have immense significance in the current situation where violence and unrest have become a daily feature in this world. Tagore is a "world poet", yet his heart and soul were rooted in  this region. For us it is easy to relate to the characters and imageries, contexts and themes which remain incredibly contemporary. It is also interesting to note that Rabindranath Tagore himself described of his Bengali family as the product of ‘a confluence of three cultures, Hindu, Mohammedan and British’. Tagore’s grandfather, Dwarkana¬th, was well known for his command of Arabic and Persian, and he grew up in a family atmosphere in which a deep knowledge of Sanskrit and ancient Hindu texts was combined with an understanding of Islamic traditions as well as Persian literature.
Tagore abhorred terrorism and he did say, on certain occasions that there have been some good that have come off British occupation in India. But it is also true that Tagore was never a narrow nationalist. He was a multifaceted human being.  Long before the League of Nations and the United Nations, Tagore was an internationalist who critiqued the narrowly defined concepts of nationalism and patriotism. He wanted all human beings to be treated equally regardless of the country or nation to which they belonged. He also did not want barriers between people even within the same nation—the barriers of caste, race, and religion.
More than anything, what Tagore stood for was a synthesis of east and west. He admired the European intellect and felt betrayed when Britain's conduct in India let down the ideal.
At present there are a number of people in Bangladesh-and also across the order in West Bengal -  who never misses an opportunity to denigrate Rabindranath Tagore - both the man and the writer. There are two groups of people who indulge in this practice. Firstly there are those imbeciles for whom Tagore's fault was that he was a Hindu-actually he was a Brahmo (a monotheist belief) and so naturally (according to them) an anti-Muslim. Would you believe it that after all these years there are educated Bengalis who believe that Tagore poisoned Kazi Nazrul Islam out of jealousy? I studied in  a rather well-known school in Dhaka and one of our teachers often used to sigh about the fact that if it was not for Tagore's cruelty Nazrul would have been the one to win the Nobel prize as the first Bengali writer. Nazrul, by the way, was in his early teens when Tagore got the prize. But, then, rationality is not something you can expect from morons. Just for the record, Tagore and Nazrul shared a good relationship. They had their differences over certain issues. On the whole their relationship was based on mutual respect and affection. However, one can reluctantly, forgive those ignorant fools.
But what is more dangerous is the fact that many so-cal intellectuals who are vociferous in their condemnation of the writer. Some Marxist scholars have gone on record saying that a landlord like Tagore can't possibly be a great writer. Tagore was a landlord and he was also a humanist.
He resented being straight-jacketed. In a letter to his daughter Mira on December 22, 1920 he wrote: "I have always been attacked by political groups, religious groups, social groups and so on. If I belonged to the opposition camp, each group would have forgiven me. That I do not belong to any group makes them all angry. No one will be able to put a chain around my feet"
Tagore was no politician. However he was politically conscious. Clearly he had his reservations about Indian politicians of the day including Mahatma Gandhi. he foundation of Tagore’s world-view was education. He firmly believed that independence from the British, in itself, would be meaningless and merely lead to replacing a foreign oppressor with home-grown ones as long as people stayed mired in superstition, ritualism and were closed to new ideas. Given this, he was strongly opposed to Gandhi’s philosophy of  “Education can wait, Swaraj cannot” because he believed that the ends (independence) did not justify means (mass boycott of education). He was also disturbed by Gandhi’s use of religion and his invocation of India’s past glories as a means to galvanize the masses. This stemmed from Tagore’s opposition to the concept of nationalism as defined by “pride” and cultural chauvinism, having seen how it had led to untold suffering in the first half of the twentieth century both in Asia and in Europe, most egregiously from “nationalist” movements in Japan and Germany. In addition, Gandhi’s use of religion and his call to revive a simpler pastoral lifestyle were to Tagore retrograde steps. Rabindranath favored a more open, international and ultimately secular outlook (There is a lot of literature on Tagore’s idea of God, which can be simplified grossly as something akin to the Bhakti movement’s tenets—a strong personal relationship of love with a Supreme Being ) for the next generation of Indians and was worried about the direction Gandhian philosophy, if followed to the letter, would take India. Tenets of Gandhism related to suppression of sexual desire and Gandhi’s strong strictures on “proper Indian life” and propensity for moralising were to Tagore unreasonable restrictions on personal freedom, a concept as dear to him as education.
While his experiments with alternative models of education, based on his concept of the freedom of the mind, in Santiniketan are well-documented what is however less universally known is his ceaseless work for tribal uplift in the area around Santiniketan, especially his initiatives for cooperative banks.
Tagore was an early environmentalist with a strong sense of aesthetics, who adored wide-open spaces and the riverine areas of Bengal. He disliked smoke-stacked industry and other ugly and noisy aspects of urban life. He felt that mechanization and assembly-line production would strip away freedom and dignity from human beings; this was the theme of his powerful play, Rakta Karabi.
 Throughout his life he was a passionate champion of women’s rights and empowerment. The first story he ever wrote, Bhikharini, was all about the misfortunes and abuses that a mother and her daughter had to suffer. He was only 16 at the time when he wrote this. His school in Shantiniketan was coeducational, which was a major break from accepted social norms. And the characters of women protagonists he developed in one novel after another were an early expression of the empowerment of women we see in our national life today.
Although not an ultra-nationalist, he never showed his preference to speak in English and preferred speaking in his mother tongue instead. In mentality and dress, he was always a Bengali. He mocked the Bengalis he met in England while visiting England, who were trying to be English-like in manners and customs. He sarcastically referred to them as Inga-Bangas.  As much as he admired the good of the West, advocated assimilation of modernity and synthesis of East and West, he also disliked the commercialism of Western culture.
One of the reasons we must continue to look to Tagore is that he was keenly aware of the times in which he lived, of the historical importance of events around him. Obviously through his engagement with social and political issues - even when he fell out of favour for taking unfashionable positions - he attempted to contribute to his times. As a poet and an author, Tagore cal upon others to open their eyes, to be aware of their place in history.
As he put it in the poem we've already considered, 'Open your doors and look abroad.' Taken narrowly, this could be seen as no more than a poet's plea for us to notice the beauty of the world around us; but I think we need to read this line in a broader sense as well.  
Tagore spent his life rebelling against the hemming in of human life, the blinkered human vision, and the curtailing of human freedom and aspiration. Whether it be in his criticism of blind traditionalism, superstition, religious communalism, or fanatic patriotism, Tagore strived to remind his listeners that the world was bigger, more complex, and therefore more precious than any single social custom, ritual, ideology, or jingoistic slogan.

The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]

Why Tagore matters

Tagore is a world poet, yet his heart and soul were rooted in this region. For us it is easy to relate to the characters and images, contexts and themes which remain incredibly contemporary

Who are you, a hundred years from today, reading my poetry with curiosity? - Rabindranath Tagore Well as many as 155 years have passed since his birthjust a few days back his birth anniversary was celebrated by Bengalis across the globe and 75 since his death but people are still reading not just his poems but novels, short stories, essays, letters, et. Interest in Tagore and Tagoriana has not dimmed a wee bit over all these years. On the contrary Tagore has become integral component of Bengali identity. In the late 1960s when the authorities banned playing Rabindra Sangeet on Radio Pakistan Bengalis were enrages. The ban actually helped people remember how important the great man was for our nation. Tagores poetry and songs became symbols of Bengalis separate identity. All of Tagores work poems, short stories, songs, novels, plays and letters have immense significance in the current situation where violence and unrest have become a daily feature in this world. Tagore is a world poet, yet his heart and soul were rooted in this region. For us it is easy to relate to the characters and imageries, contexts and themes which remain incredibly contemporary. It is also interesting to note that Rabindranath Tagore himself described of his Bengali family as the product of a confluence of three cultures, Hindu, Mohammedan and British. Tagores grandfather, Dwarkanath, was well known for his command of Arabic and Persian, and he grew up in a family atmosphere in which a deep knowledge of Sanskrit and ancient Hindu texts was combined with an understanding of Islamic traditions as well as Persian literature. Tagore abhorred terrorism and he did say, on certain occasions that there have been some good that have come off British occupation in India. But it is also true that Tagore was never a narrow nationalist. He was a multifaceted human being. Long before the League of Nations and the United Nations, Tagore was an internationalist who critiqued the narrowly defined concepts of nationalism and patriotism. He wanted all human beings to be treated equally regardless of the country or nation to which they belonged. He also did not want barriers between people even within the same nationthe barriers of caste, race, and religion. More than anything, what Tagore stood for was a synthesis of east and west. He admired the European intellect and felt betrayed when Britains conduct in India let down the ideal. At present there are a number of people in Bangladesh-and also across the order in West Bengal - who never misses an opportunity to denigrate Rabindranath Tagore - both the man and the writer. There are two groups of people who indulge in this practice. Firstly there are those imbeciles for whom Tagores fault was that he was a Hindu-actually he was a Brahmo (a monotheist belief) and so naturally (according to them) an anti-Muslim. Would you believe it that after all these years there are educated Bengalis who believe that Tagore poisoned Kazi Nazrul Islam out of jealousy? I studied in a rather well-known school in Dhaka and one of our teachers often used to sigh about the fact that if it was not for Tagores cruelty Nazrul would have been the one to win the Nobel prize as the first Bengali writer. Nazrul, by the way, was in his early teens when Tagore got the prize. But, then, rationality is not something you can expect from morons. Just for the record, Tagore and Nazrul shared a good relationship. They had their differences over certain issues. On the whole their relationship was based on mutual respect and affection. However, one can reluctantly, forgive those ignorant fools. But what is more dangerous is the fact that many so-cal intellectuals who are vociferous in their condemnation of the writer. Some Marxist scholars have gone on record saying that a landlord like Tagore cant possibly be a great writer. Tagore was a landlord and he was also a humanist. He resented being straight-jacketed. In a letter to his daughter Mira on December 22, 1920 he wrote: I have always been attacked by political groups, religious groups, social groups and so on. If I belonged to the opposition camp, each group would have forgiven me. That I do not belong to any group makes them all angry. No one will be able to put a chain around my feet Tagore was no politician. However he was politically conscious. Clearly he had his reservations about Indian politicians of the day including Mahatma Gandhi. he foundation of Tagores world-view was education. He firmly believed that independence from the British, in itself, would be meaningless and merely lead to replacing a foreign oppressor with home-grown ones as long as people stayed mired in superstition, ritualism and were closed to new ideas. Given this, he was strongly opposed to Gandhis philosophy of Education can wait, Swaraj cannot because he believed that the ends (independence) did not justify means (mass boycott of education). He was also disturbed by Gandhis use of religion and his invocation of Indias past glories as a means to galvanize the masses. This stemmed from Tagores opposition to the concept of nationalism as defined by pride and cultural chauvinism, having seen how it had led to untold suffering in the first half of the twentieth century both in Asia and in Europe, most egregiously from nationalist movements in Japan and Germany. In addition, Gandhis use of religion and his call to revive a simpler pastoral lifestyle were to Tagore retrograde steps. Rabindranath favored a more open, international and ultimately secular outlook (There is a lot of literature on Tagores idea of God, which can be simplified grossly as something akin to the Bhakti movements tenetsa strong personal relationship of love with a Supreme Being ) for the next generation of Indians and was worried about the direction Gandhian philosophy, if followed to the letter, would take India. Tenets of Gandhism related to suppression of sexual desire and Gandhis strong strictures on proper Indian life and propensity for moralising were to Tagore unreasonable restrictions on personal freedom, a concept as dear to him as education. While his experiments with alternative models of education, based on his concept of the freedom of the mind, in Santiniketan are well-documented what is however less universally known is his ceaseless work for tribal uplift in the area around Santiniketan, especially his initiatives for cooperative banks. Tagore was an early environmentalist with a strong sense of aesthetics, who adored wide-open spaces and the riverine areas of Bengal. He disliked smoke-stacked industry and other ugly and noisy aspects of urban life. He felt that mechanization and assembly-line production would strip away freedom and dignity from human beings; this was the theme of his powerful play, Rakta Karabi. Throughout his life he was a passionate champion of womens rights and empowerment. The first story he ever wrote, Bhikharini, was all about the misfortunes and abuses that a mother and her daughter had to suffer. He was only 16 at the time when he wrote this. His school in Shantiniketan was coeducational, which was a major break from accepted social norms. And the characters of women protagonists he developed in one novel after another were an early expression of the empowerment of women we see in our national life today. Although not an ultra-nationalist, he never showed his preference to speak in English and preferred speaking in his mother tongue instead. In mentality and dress, he was always a Bengali. He mocked the Bengalis he met in England while visiting England, who were trying to be English-like in manners and customs. He sarcastically referred to them as Inga-Bangas. As much as he admired the good of the West, advocated assimilation of modernity and synthesis of East and West, he also disliked the commercialism of Western culture. One of the reasons we must continue to look to Tagore is that he was keenly aware of the times in which he lived, of the historical importance of events around him. Obviously through his engagement with social and political issues - even when he fell out of favour for taking unfashionable positions - he attempted to contribute to his times. As a poet and an author, Tagore cal upon others to open their eyes, to be aware of their place in history. As he put it in the poem weve already considered, Open your doors and look abroad. Taken narrowly, this could be seen as no more than a poets plea for us to notice the beauty of the world around us; but I think we need to read this line in a broader sense as well. Tagore spent his life rebelling against the hemming in of human life, the blinkered human vision, and the curtailing of human freedom and aspiration. Whether it be in his criticism of blind traditionalism, superstition, religious communalism, or fanatic patriotism, Tagore strived to remind his listeners that the world was bigger, more complex, and therefore more precious than any single social custom, ritual, ideology, or jingoistic slogan. The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]