The liberal school was influential in making a dent on prevailing social orthodoxies and in shaping opinion during the freedom struggle and in the making of post-colonial India. Tagore, despite his unquestioned intellectual stature, often encountered hostility to his liberal views which, of course, he endured without wavering.
The 150th birth centenary of Tagore presents an occasion to recall his views about international relations, and see how they connect with India in the current era of globalisation. We often describe the messages of great individuals as timeless or prophetic. Indeed, these adjectives tend to become stale from overuse. Yet the views of Tagore on India and international relations for how well they are aligned to the current trends in India to look outward and embrace globalism.
We can detect in Tagore an innate streak of liberalism which was, obviously, strengthened by his contact with the west gaining him the Nobel Prize in 1913 for Gitanjali. Importantly, the first half of the 20th century when Tagore stated his globalist views with clarity and firmness was also a period of intense nationalism, worldwide. The nationalist sentiment was, at once, both a cause and a result of the two world wars fought during the period. Nationalism also became strong in India, fuelling the movement for independence. The environment makes Tagore’s internationalist views more remarkable. He had to swim against the tide and, in doing so, take on no less a personality than Mahatma Gandhi.
Between 1915 and 1941, the two great men – Tagore and Gandhi – debated on various national and philosophical issues, and we owe a debt to Dr Sabyasachi Bhattacharya for compiling and presenting them in a single volume with an informative introduction. It is educational to review the Gandhi-Tagore debate which provides glimpses into the personalities and worldviews of the two men. More importantly, it can help find answers to many of the current problems in India.
Among other things, Gandhi and Tagore had a different understanding of India’s relationship with the outside world. Opposing the nationalist emphasis of Gandhi, Tagore referred to the “spirit of the New Age” and argued that “from now on, the anxiety that each country has for its own safety must embrace the welfare of the world.” Though dreamy and idealistic, this statement is yet remarkably prescient of the trajectory of international relations in the last few decades and the close institutional connections that have been forged among countries. There was ample evidence of this during the recent financial crisis of 2008-09. Mortgage delinquencies and house price declines in the US caused bank failures in Iceland. Outside economic relations, the sense of community among societies is evident in the sympathy the ongoing Arab uprisings have generated in democratic countries worldwide.
National egoism
To be clear, Tagore was sensitive to national egoism among the western nations which then ruled large parts of the world. These countries had understandable, if not justifiable, national pride and they tended to look down upon the native societies in the colonies. This was an important factor in the rise of nationalism in India. The colonial attitude had its logical consequence in Indians seeking to redeem their pride by referring to their ancient glory and the accomplishments of their ancestors in several fields of human endeavor. The game was essentially one of one-upmanship.
In this environment, Tagore firmly rejected the idea that India should respond to national egoism, essentially from the British rulers, with our own version of nationalism. Rather, he advocated greater understanding and tolerance towards one another. He did so in a debate with Mahatma Gandhi questioning the principles of non-cooperation and nationalistic economics. Another important element in the Gandhi-Tagore debate was the high esteem in which they held each other and the warm personal relationship between the two. Not many of us are aware that the title “Mahatma” was first used by Tagore in referring to Gandhi. This did not prevent them from having philosophical debates in the public arena.
In the Gandhi-Tagore debate, a bonus we get is the literary treat from Tagore. Quite often, Tagore’s prose breaks into quasi-poetry that is delightful to read and powerful in its message. For example, bemoaning national egoism and one-upmanship, Tagore wrote, “let us be rid of all false pride and rejoice at any lamp being lit at any corner of the world, knowing that it is part of the common illumination of our home.” Gandhi was obviously struck by the literary quality of Tagore’s writing. In responding to Tagore’s The Call of Truth, Gandhi referred to him as “the Bard of Santiniketan” and described Tagore’s essay on the charkha as “a series of word pictures which he alone can paint.”
All this being said, what is the significance of Tagore’s views to the present India? This is the question with which I started. It lies in India’s embrace of globalism over the last 20 years. To be clear, the current phase of globalism, or globalisation if you will, had its origin in a series of developments – the opening up of Russia and China, the collapse of communism, in India the progressive views of Rajiv Gandhi, the foreign exchange crisis in 1991 and so on.
Having started thus, globalisation has to some extent carved its own path. It is apparent that India has embraced globalism and Indians have stepped out of the provincial mindset that was prominent in the country for the last several centuries. In interpreting this development, we can detect shades of the internationalism that permeated the spirit of Tagore. Tagore can be viewed as an early representative of this liberal global element in the Indian spirit.