07 May 2025
Dear Editor,
Today is Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday, and what a tragedy it is that today, as Indians, we have forgotten the great many warnings that this towering philosopher poet gave almost a century ago.
Tagore, one of India’s staunchest critics of nationalism, believed that “Nationalism is a great menace. It is the particular thing which for years has been at the bottom of India’s troubles.”
However, his voice seems to have all but drowned out amidst the din of war mongers in his own motherland.
How have we reduced ourselves to incessant jingoism? The state of the Indian media has eliminated critical thought, all forms of reasoning and dialogue, and has ensured that it strikes at us, the viewers, by screaming one word alone “NATIONALISM.”
Tagore wrote, ”It is my conviction that my countrymen will truly gain their India by fighting against the education which teaches them that a country is greater than the ideals of humanity.”
Will we, the people of India, affirm Tagore’s conviction? Only time will tell.
(Image : Strange Animals by Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali artist, philosopher, and 1913 Nobel Prize winner for Literature).
Thank you,
Ranjini Rao,
Co-Executive Director QS Consultants India Pvt Ltd.
New Delhi, India
Editor’s note: Letters may be edited for clarity, length, and accuracy. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sapan News.
