Radical Rabindranath

Radical Rabindranath~II

Tagore‘s last essay in English titled Crisis in Civilization, published just before his death, in 1941 is significant. The essay expresses an unusual pessimism as Tagore had staunchly advocated the principles of harmony and understanding between the East and West. Tagore‘s conclusion in Crisis in Civilization connects it to Samuel Huntington‘s explosive essay, The Clash of Civilization, if not for the sameness, definitely to emphatically identify the differences that the world environment has had to negotiate since the death of Tagore.

# Opinion

Radical Rabindranath~I

Tagore‘s entire life had been a determined bid to follow his own conscience and creative ideas. Though it was not a misanthropist‘s journey, it was the journey of the social reformer and cultural commentator. Tagore ardently believed and hoped he could rouse consciousness through awareness campaigns about societal evils, exploitative politics and religious conservatism. He urged the people to step out of the narrow ambits of nationalism and internalize a cosmopolitan outlook, that could bridge the national and international with felicity.