Abstract
In the prevailing uncertain times marked by narrow mentalities, xenophobic nationalism and violence, there is a need to remember and reflect on the work of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore was probably the first cosmopolitan nationalist who conversed at ease with global cultural and intellectual trends in his period. As we know, he did not carry a narrow perspective on nationalism but saw national identity as entangled with humanist global trends. One of the important features of his cosmopolitan perspective was that he did not see modernity in exclusively Western terms but incorporated in it Asian traditions as well. He saw countries, such as India, China and Japan, as also helping to shape the modern world. This is a timely collection of essays on one of the greatest philosophers, writers, artist and linguists of India.
The edited volume under review is based on the papers presented at the conference on ‘Rabindranath Tagore, Beyond Bengali Literature’, organised at Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, in March 2012. The articles in the volume present a comprehensive assessment of Tagore; one that transcends the boundaries of language, culture and literary conventions. Investigating both his texts and art, an effort is made to examine his relevance and representativeness both as a global figure and in terms of universal humanism. Tagore is studied as a ‘living text’ whose art and writings found resonance not only in India but in countries of Europe and in Russia as well. William Radice’s piece in the volume (pp. 3–21) analyses Tagore’s compositions of poems, songs, self-translations and plays as a process of self-healing after he had lost his wife, his father, his second daughter and his youngest son. His writings like the Gitanjali, Dakghar and Raja gives us an insight into Tagore’s self-perception as well as his quest for self-healing. Tagore rejected essentialism and saw human beings in their dynamic, creative contexts. Owing to this, his literary compositions celebrated human agency and subjectivity. He believed in the ability of human agency to transcend narrow barriers of caste, marriage, gender, etc. He spoke about women’s emancipation and rejected the stereotypical portrait of the self-sacrificing mother. Malashri Lal’s essay in the volume (pp. 22–31) analyses Tagore’s views on the female characters in Mahåbhårata which are quite evident from the following lines from his dance–drama composition, Chitrangada: ‘If you keep me (the woman) by your side as a companion in danger and prosperity, then you will know my true self’ (p. 25).
Rabindranath Tagore was a firm believer in the philosophy of Universal Humanism which was reflected in his interpersonal relationships. He believed that sensitivity and compassion were inherent in human nature and in this he was scarcely different from Gandhiji who also believed that political struggles and movements of resistance should not obfuscate one’s faith in the humanity of the opponent. It was his faith in the material and social freedom of Man that his sources of inspiration or identity of ideas could not be restricted to India or Indians. Tagore’s friendship with the Irish national poet William Yeats and the French, novelist and philosopher Romain Rolland brought him in contact with European intellectuals and made his works popular in Europe. Bhattacharya, in his article (pp. 31–47), unfolds the complex layers of friendship between Rolland and Tagore which though complicated, made Tagore’s writings (like The Gardener, Balaka, The Post office, Gora, etc.) available to the Western world both in translation.
Serebriany’s paper (pp. 47–70) extends the domain of Rezeptionsgeschichte or reception history further by analysing Tagore’s relationship with Russia. Tagore visited Moscow in 1930 and wrote his ‘Letters from Russia’ where he appreciated the work of Bolshevik government in Russia while critiquing the atrocities committed by the British on Indians. Serebriany, in line with his own hostility to the Soviet regime (he speaks of its ‘alleged achievements’), emphasises Tagore’s reservations and overlooks his excitement at encountering a society driven by a vision of equality. Tagore said, among other thing: ‘Freedom of mind is needed for the reception of truth; terror hopelessly kills it’ (p. 54). Serebriany draws interesting parallels between Tagore’s work, The Home and The World and the famous Russian novelist, Dostoevsky’s The Possessed. He suggests that the similarity in their plots, characters and central idea hints towards the possibility that Tagore has either consciously or unconsciously emulated The Possessed, or, as he was generally well acquainted with classical Russian literature, he translated the essence of the nineteenth-century Russian novel into Bengali. Whatever may have been the reason, the reception of Rabindranath Tagore as an international figure was a global phenomenon. This exactly is the point stressed upon in Imre Bangha’s paper (pp. 70–82) where he has analysed Tagore’s popularity between 1912 and 1961. Soon after Tagore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1913, his popularity spread far and wide. His writings provided an alternative to the ‘cultural hegemony’ of Europe (p. 71), at the same time widening the outlook of the Europeans as well. Soon Tagore began to be hailed as a ‘sage, prophet and poet’ with a message from ‘the Spiritual East’ (p. 72).
Imre Bangha in ‘Charting Tagore’s International Popularity’ (pp. 70–81) delineates the phases in which interest in Europe in Tagore flourished or faded, and these tell us as much about Tagore’s appeal as about the shifting ideological winds in Europe. This point is further highlighted in Liviu Bordas’ paper (pp. 82–141) in the volume which is a detailed study of Tagore’s reception in Romanian Culture (1913–45). In fact, it was only after Tagore’s discovery in the West that translations of the works of Indian poets such as Vidyapati, Nityananda and Govindadas gained popularity among the readers of the Romanian publications. The other essays in the volume by Ketaki Kushari Dyson, Sushobhan Adhikary, Namita Gokhale, Alka Pande and Vijay Kowshik (pp. 141–217) contextualise Tagore in terms of his art, creativity and philosophy. From his art to his attire, the authors try to build up a narrative about his Sartorial Humanism. They have analysed the influence of both the Bhadralok society and the Bengal Renaissance on the life and works of Tagore.
Imre Bangha’s edited volume, Tagore: Beyond his Language has successfully managed to bring together attributes of both the personality and works of Rabindranath Tagore. His life and work epitomised a superb combination of persistence and innovation that was deeply embedded in cultural pluralism. This volume is a treat for those who want to study the extent of influences of Tagore’s ideas and works.