Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore: A Poet-Saint Who Was A Bridge Between The East And The West

In these times of misplaced nationalism and war-mongering, it's indeed ironic to remember that the poet and Nobel laureate who wrote India's national anthem was remarkably universal in his vision and was untrammelled by the narrowness of caste, class, country and creed. Rabindranath Tagore, whose 164th birth anniversary (born: 1861) falls on May 7 (as per the Gregorian calendar), wasn't a nationalist if judged by today's exaggerated standards, flawed perceptions and twisted definitions.

'Tagore had an all-encompassing vision and a heart that throbbed for every living and non-living creature,' opined Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in his 'Oxford Series of Lectures'. Some pseudo-nationalists may argue that Tagore just wrote poetry sitting in an ivory tower and didn't participate in India's freedom struggle. They're grossly mistaken. Tagore wasn't an indolent lotus-eater, who just sat on the fence and observed the cavalcade of history pass by doing nothing. On the contrary, he had the courage of conviction to return the knighthood that was bestowed upon him by the Brits following Amritsar's infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

He wrote to the Viceroy of India while returning the Knighthood, 'A regime that doesn't have empathy for the innocent protesters is presumed to have no empathy for the decency and niceties of human existence. I, therefore, return the 'honour' to the oppressive and inhuman government.'

It was Tagore who could write, 'Jaati, dharmo nirbisheshe/Aami maanush, nei aamaar kono desh, na kono praanto' (Regardless of caste and creed, I'm but an individual who doesn't belong to any country or province).

Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote of Tagore that after Greek philosopher Socrates, Tagore was the first and truest 'global citizen' of the modern world. Tagore himself wrote to Sarojini Naidu, 'Aami Bishwa Naagorik' (I'm a world citizen). Nationalism is alien to me.'

In his Nobel Acceptance Speech in 1913, Tagore said, 'A poet has no country; he has no community. He only has a universality of vision and a profound vastness of sensibilities that enable him to connect with all humans on earth.'

Alas, where have gone that universality and profundity of sensibilities that the Kavi Guru propounded? When you see the overzealous respect for his national anthem and play it everywhere, you forget the exalted philosophy of the poet behind it. This is really sad, nay condemnable. Tagore was a mystic, and a mystic is always bound up with humanity. He has wider sensibilities, which encompass the entire universe. Inspired by Hafiz Shirazi, Tagore's father, Maharshi Devendranath, was a scholar of Persian, Jalaluddin Rumi, Sanai, Khakani and Nizami; Tagore imbibed the spirit of universalism at a very tender age. That's why his poems directly strike at the strings of the heart, and there's never a scintilla of artificiality in them.

Tagore's god wasn't a denominational god, nor did it belong to a particular sect or race. It was Qura'an's 'Rabbul-Alameen' (the god of the universe). This universal vision elevates Tagore to a saint poet, as his poetry is forlorn of quotidian elements. Yeats called Gitanjali's 103 poems ‘the psalms of modern times’. Just read this and you'll be in sync with the Tagorean sublimity:

"To the birds you gave songs, the birds gave you songs in return
You gave me only voice, yet asked for more, and I sing."

Reading Tagore is getting soaked in a deluge of divine cascade. It conjures up before your eyes the cavalcade of times. His compassion is all-embracing. The entire world is Tagore's extended family. His spirituality is the reflection of his audacious faith in mankind. "Every child comes with the message that God's not yet discouraged of man." This unwavering belief in man is the leitmotif of Tagorean poetry, and belief in man is belief in God. Rabindranath Tagore's universalism, a cornerstone of his philosophy, emphasises the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of transcending narrow national or cultural boundaries. He believed in a shared human heritage, promoting tolerance, spiritual values, and a global culture rooted in mutual respect and understanding. Tagore saw universalism not as an abstract ideal but as a practical approach to addressing social, cultural, and political issues.

Tagore visited 37 countries during his lifetime. He was a huge figure whom everyone admired globally. He received a hearty welcome everywhere. He had meetings with towering political and cultural figures of his time. Tagore indulged in cultural diplomacy and travelled to Iraq, Britain, France, Central Europe, China and Japan. He not only looked to the West for contact and inspiration but also to the East to bring the countries together. This included Japan, China and Southeast Asia. Tagore’s legacy still remains fresh; while some countries have a road named after him, others have a bust of him placed in a public square. Rabindranath Tagore, beyond any shadow of a doubt, was a visionary. He was a man much ahead of his time. His thought process was indeed global.

Now the question is: Why should we imbibe the universal spirit of the Tagorean philosophy? Though Tagore belonged to the Brahmo Samaj, he never believed in any particular faith or sect. He believed in agape (universal love in Christianity). But his agape was not a deity or god. Nor did it have a definite form. It was an all-pervasive spirit that permeates the universe. Tagore believed in universal compassion and called it the ‘sublimation of love’. He believed that universal love with empathy could remove all ills from the earth and violence would be passe. Even Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King Jr followed this sublime idea of love, and both succeeded to a great extent. It must be mentioned that Romain Rolland, a French Nobel laureate, had a profound admiration for both Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, viewing them as spiritual leaders who transcended national boundaries. He particularly admired Gandhi's philosophy of ahimsa and his ability to lead a revolution through non-violent resistance. Rolland also engaged in significant correspondence with Tagore, which provides an insight into their shared humanist values and their attempts to bridge the East and West. In today's world, ravaged by all sorts of negativity and differences, the Tagorean idea of universal love, rooted in the Upanishads’ Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, could prove to be a whiff of zephyr for the beleaguered mankind.

Sumit Paul is a regular contributor to the world’s premier publications and portals in several languages.