Political Science

Modern Indian
political thought
Course Code: POL 217 Shiv Kumar
Topic: Rabindranath School of Social Sciences
Tagore and Languages
Lovely Professional
University
 Conti…

 This lecture will focus on Rabindranath Tagore

 Lecture will also focus on teaching of Rabindranath Thakur

 Lecture will also focus on Rabindranath Thakur vision for India

Introduction
 Rabindranath Thakur was a man of various talents. He was
recognised by people all over the globe for his literary works -
poetry, philosophies, plays and especially his songwriting.

 Rabindranath Tagore was the man who gave India, it’s National
Anthem. He was one of the greatest entities of all time and the only
Indian to receive a Nobel Prize.
Introduction
 Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913, becoming the
first non-European to receive the honor. He was only sixteen years old when
he was to publish his first short story called “Bhanisimha”, were published.

 Rabindranth Tagore was born on 07th of May, 1861 in Kolkata.

 Rabindranath Tagore was the son of Debendranath Tagore, one of Brahmo

Samaj’s active members, a known and celebrated philosopher and literate.
R.N Tagore died after a prolonged illness on the 07th of August, 1941.
 Rabindranath Tagore Childhood and Education
 While growing up, R.N Tagore shared a very intimate relationship with his elder
brother and his sister in law. Rabindranath Tagore's father's name is Debendranath
Tagore, and his mother’s name is Sarada Devi.

 Rabindranath Tagore's birthday is on the 7th of May, 1861, and he was born in
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency then.

 Itis believed that they did everything together. Rabindranath Tagore's education
didn’t seem too impressive.
 Rabindranath Tagore Childhood and Education
 R.N Tagore did not enjoy schooling, and he was mostly found procrastinating and
pondering for hours. He went to one of the most prestigious St. Xavier’s School, and
later, he went to the University of London in Bridgton, England, to study law and
become a barrister.

 Still,
as we know, he did not enjoy schooling much; he returned home in two years
but without a degree.
Growing Years and Career
 R.N Tagore was only eight years old when he first wrote a poem. By the age of
sixteen, his short story got published, titled “Bhanusimha”.

 R.N Tagore’s contribution to literature is beyond any measure. He was the one who
had introduced new verses and prose and also lingua franca in his mother tongue,
which is Bangla.

 R.N Tagore after returning to India after leaving his education, but he did not leave
literature.
Growing Years and Career
 R.N Tagore published several books of Rabindranath Tagore poems and short
stories, plays and songs. His most renowned work, called “Gitanjali”, was very
well received all over India and England.

 Heis the author of two National Anthems, which are “Amar Sonar Bangla” for
Bangladesh and “Jana Gana Mana” for India. He worked with very unfamiliar
and different styles in Bangla Language.

 Some of them are heavily immersed in social and political satire. He was one of
those who believed in global peace and equality. He is one of the pioneers of
contemporary Bengali literature.
 Growing Years and Career
 After
returning to India, he completed and published his book of poems called
“Manasi” which was believed to contain his best poems.

 “Manasi” contained several verse forms which were fresh to contemporary

Bengali literature, and it also contained some political and social satire that
questioned and mocked R.N Tagore’s fellow Bengalis.
Theory of freedom and self realization
 For Tagore, freedom was not merely political emancipation but the
mingling of the individual with the universe.

 The goal of freedom lay in making one perfect.. It was the condition
and attitude of life in which one might wish to develop his best.

 The human being as a part of this great universe

 Theory of freedom and self realization

 For Tagore, freedom of the individual was the basis of the growth of human
civilisation and progress.

 It was the inner urge of a person to be in harmony with the great universe.
 Theory of freedom and self realization
 Tagore, like the early Indian liberals considered the real problem of India as
social and not political.

 A narrow vision of political liberty would grossly be inadequate in

establishing a good society for that would deny individual's moral and
spiritual freedom.
 Theory of freedom and self realization
 Mere political freedom could not make one free, as cleavages and weaknesses
of society would pose a danger to politics.

 Withoutcreating confidence in the average person, he would always feel inferior

and "the tyranny of injustice" would perpetuate.
Nationalism
 Tagore's perception of the dual role, one positive, "the
spirit of the West" and the other negative, "the nation of
the West" was the starting point of his analysis of
nationalism as it developed in the West.
 Nationalism
 Contextualising his analysis on nationalism in the backdrop of the rise of
militant and aggressive nationalistic aspirations in certain countries of Europe
during first half of the twentieth century

 Tagoresought to explain the birth of the idea of nationalism as a product

of modern science and technological advancements.

 In the wake of rapid advancements in the field of science

 Nationalism
 He,however, insisted that such mechanical coming together of people without
any moral or social considerations

 According to Tagore, technological orientation drives a man to join society

for self preservation.
 Nationalism

 This makes society an aspect of power and as a collectivity it does not

have much to do with the pursuit of higher ideals.

 As science advances, society grows more complex and leads to greater

wealth and with it man’s selfishness increases
Nationalism

 Nationalism is a result of such process.

 It is a cruel epidemic of evil which is eating into the moral vitals of mankind.

 Itembodies selfishness in a concentrated form for, once it arises, it

excludes every other ideal.
Nationalism

 becomes synonymous with power which has no consideration for human ideals
like freedom and equality.

 It even leads to dissolution of personal humanity

 Within the country, he elaborated, nationalism breeds an intense and unending

lust for power and money in the people resulting into more and more
Nationalism

 Infinal analysis, when the lust for power and money takes a
concentrated form, it creates an urge for unusual organisation of
people to make their forays outside their place to explore and
exploit the material resources of that region.

 Thus, nationalism ordinarily boils down to colonialism and fierce wars

between two or more than two nations to secure a strong foothold in
lucrative colonies.
 Nationalism

 The true character of nationalism also gets exposed in its activities in the
colonies.

 Drawing examples from British imperialism, Tagore explained the numerous

dehumanising and exploitative features of colonialism in India.