‘Tagore builder of modern India’

Bengaluru, Nov. 18: Do people, particularly the youth in the 21st century, need to remember Rabindranath Tagore as a poet who penned the national anthem? Or does he still have relevance? “Surely he is much more significant now than earlier,” said noted historian Ramachandra Guha. Delivering the second Dr V.K.R.V. Rao Memorial Lecture at Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday, Mr Guha suggested that along with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar, Tagore should also be credited with building modern India.

“If you go through the history of Indian independence, you will find that it was Tagore who influenced both Gandhi and Nehru,” Mr Guha said. “Both Gandhi and Nehru read Tagore’s works to develop their views. Gandhi’s famous statement ‘Let noble thoughts come to me from everywhere’ is a classic example of how the Father of the Nation was deeply influenced by Tagore. Nehru evinced a special interest in the North-East region and this could be traced to Tagore’ influence.”

Tagore opposed the West’s ideology of aggressive colonisation. But he was the first to say that Indians should follow the scientific pursuits of the West. “Tagore said every religion has a mix of virtues and vice. He was the one who propagated a pluralistic society. This is very significant even now when we witness Hindu-Muslim strife every now and then. His views on building a country with diverse cultures and religions are of more significance now than ever before,” Mr Guha said. Mr Guha also dismissed the popular belief that Tagore wrote the national anthem to praise the British. “Often, we hear that Tagore wrote the national anthem to praise the British. It is but a rumour and has no truth in it. It is sad that the rest of India has failed to acknowledge the greatness of Tagore. He is much more than a poet, mystic and a Bengali,” he said.