Tagore and Gandhi by Rudangshu Mukherjee: Differences Amid Teamwork: The Tribune India

Avijit Batak

As I turn to this historically important and philosophically enriching book, I begin to go through a process of inner turmoil. Yes, as a student, I have always felt the need to walk with Rabindranath Tagore and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. My social science, critical pedagogy, aesthetics, and religiosity have always inspired me to see beyond strict and reductive ideological stances, sharpen the art of listening, and broaden my horizons. While Gandhi’s “” character or his dialogue text “Hind Swaraj” makes me rethink the discourses of colonialism, modernity, and swaraj, the poetic universality of Tagore and his sublime prayers soften my soul. Somehow, I can come to my class with Hind Swaraj as well as Geetanjali. While Tagore’s “Crisis of Civilization” makes me understand the psychology of violence that brutalizes the West with the politics of war and nationalism, Gandhi’s political and spiritual journey in Nuwakkale urges me to resist the ugly politics of religious nationalism.

Tagore and Gandhi: Walking Alone, Walking Together by Rudrangshu Mukherjee. one thousand. Pages 208 Rs 699

I know that Gandhi and Tagore differed on many issues. Gandhi’s moral discipline (and sometimes psychological stubbornness) and Tagore’s aesthetic sensibilities need not always be combined. Likewise, the practice of “non-cooperation” with the “colonial West” as a method of Gandhian resistance may not fit well with the mental landscape depicted by Tagore through his poetic universalism. Perhaps the rhythm of the “poet’s religion” is musical, somewhat different from Gandhi’s Anasakti yoga. Yet, as I have always felt, in spite of these differences, they trust each other; Their subtle and critical dialogues have creatively enriched our understanding of the curvilinear trajectory of Indian modernity. Hence, as I begin to read about the “most creative confrontation” between the “maker of the Indian national movement” and the “creator of a profound literary and philosophical realm,” I feel I am in fact seeing Gandhi and Tagore contemplating Santiniketan, realizing the spirit of togetherness amidst the controversies. Professor Mukherjee captured this spirit well:

As Ahimsa was one of the pillars of their lives, Tagore and Gandhi saw India (and the world) in terms of harmony, free of hatred of any kind, religious and ethnic. Their idea of ​​India was comprehensive and integrated, and they were upset when they saw an idea and an ideal in India riven by communal violence.

The six chapters in the book occupy the reader. One begins to understand Tagore and Gandhi’s world views. I would argue Mukherjee’s deep reflections on Tagore’s novels like Gora and Non-Bayer, the philosophical influence of the likes of Tolstoy and Raskin on Gandhi, guiding the reader, and helping him understand the historical significance of the dialogues. In which these two distinguished personalities were involved. Yes, as Mukherjee explained, there were moments when Gandhi and Tagore were “discordant”. Enough has been said and written about their differences over the philosophy and policy of non-cooperation. However, despite these differences, they were trying to understand each other. Yes, Tagore was a proponent of the “principle of harmony”, and he felt uneasy about “national selfishness”. However, Gandhi was doing his best to remove the fear expressed by Tagore. In the words of Mukherjee:

Gandhi was arguing that non-cooperation was the basis for the true cooperation that Rabindranath envisioned. What was present was not cooperation but coercion. Violence and imposition were the approval of the West in India as manifested in British hegemony. This had to be nullified before the collaboration began.

Similarly, in the chapter on Fasting and Earthquake, we again witness Mukherjee’s craft – the way he makes the reader aware, for example, of Tagore’s sharp critique of Gandhi’s response to the devastating earthquake that devastated northern Bihar in 1934. Tagore, we know, criticized Gandhi’s statement that the earthquake was God’s revenge against the practice of untouchability. However, Mukherjee does not want us to forget that “an earthquake cannot find fault lines in a lasting friendship”. After all, despite these differences, Tagore, as Mukherjee reminds us again, praised Gandhi as “the one person who did the most to lift people out of the filth of despair and humiliation in which they fell.”

With the rise of loud TV channels and narcissistic political figures of our time, we are rapidly losing the art of conversation and subtle dialogue. In this dark moment, I think every sane reader would agree with Mukherjee as he ponders the implications of the Gandhi-Tagore debate:

They discussed endlessly. This is… a beacon as India walks on the edge of the razor blade to form an inclusive society, free from intolerance and hatred, and enlightened by civilized debates and discourses.

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