The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore
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The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (Ashgate World Philosophies Series) (Ashgate World Philosophies Series) by Kalyan Sen Gupta (z-lib.org)
State and Society
Tagore’s faith in education was not matched by one in politics. We get a glimpse of his attitude to political matters in his letter to Sir Daniel Hamilton, who had come to Calcutta in the latter half of the nineteenth century and worked untiringly for social improvement in the villages: We … fondly cherish the pathetic faith that the deep rooted welfare of a country can be grown chiefly on the surface soil of politics … I have not much faith in politicians where the problem is vast, needing a complete vision of the future of a country like India entangled in differences that are enormous. Politicians, he continues, isolate politics from ‘the large context of national life’ and emphasize what is ‘external and superficial’, such as law and order. They thereby ‘ignore the vital needs of the spirit of the nation’. 1 This distaste for politics and politicians in general does not mean that Tagore was totally indifferent to contemporary political developments in India, such as the national and non-cooperation movements, or that he did not participate in the political discourse of his time. Certainly, however, his concern was more social than political, more with welfare than with political arrangements. What he cherishes most is spontaneous human concern for the reconstruction and regeneration of society. Hence his admiration for Hamilton: ‘I have trust in individuals like yourself who are simple lovers of humanity, whose minds are free from race prejudice and the too loyal idolatry of the machine.’ 2 Politicians, he thought, move blindly and mechanically and lack real human sensitivity to the actual needs of life and the country. They worship ‘the idols of the machine’, seeking order and conformity in organization. What is more urgent, however, is to develop our creative urge as expressed in working in harness with others for the common good. ‘As an animal [man] is dependent upon Nature, as a Man he is a sovereign who builds his world and rules it.’ 3 Tagore’s passionate call was for a harmonious society where every individual effectively participates in the collective knowledge and will. This ‘heaven of freedom’, based on the warmth of fellowship, is liberated from every kind of prejudice and narrowness. What gives society its life and force, therefore, cannot come from outside, in the form of the state, but must spring from the inner harmony of the society. 38 This priority of society over state, Tagore points out, characterizes the tradition of Indian civilization. In his response to ‘The Political Philosophy of Rabindranath’, by Sachindranath Sen, he remarks that, when we turn our gaze upon the history of other countries, it is the political steed that comes predominantly in view; on it seems to depend wholly the progress of the carriage. However, ‘both in India and China’, he says, ‘the social system was always dominant, and political system stood below it. Both the countries protected themselves by the collective power of the society.’ 4 It is this society, he continues, that in India has always preserved the dignity of the country by providing education, security and comforts to the people, by punishing the criminals, and by recognizing the worth of talented people. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, yet the country survived because it was self-sufficient and able to meet its people’s economic and spiritual requirements. The country had always belonged to the people, while the king was only a relatively insignificant figurehead. In a politically oriented country, the heart lies in the political system: if it collapses, this means the death of the country. It is in this way that Greece and Rome met their end; but countries like India and China have survived in spite of political revolutions, since their souls are anchored in a stable society. 5 This focus on society rather than the state is evident in his long and remarkable lecture ‘Swadeshi Samaj’. This lecture emerged in the context of the intrusion of the political state under the British regime – an intrusion, he argues, that contradicted the spirit of India. Every country, Tagore says, has its own distinctive national heritage. In the West, the state plays the central role, and is the source of all strength. It takes up all the responsibilities for the welfare of its people who are, therefore, completely dependent on it for the diverse necessities of their life. In India, however, political rule and rulers have always been of little consequence for the social life of the people. The real force of the country is concentrated in the society and radiates from it. Her charities, education, trade and industry are all socially regulated. Society in India has never depended on the benevolence of kings and rulers, but has conducted its activities according to dharmas (duties and obligations) accepted by the people. It has functioned smoothly by allotting different assignments according to capabilities. India has been subject to different races and different kings throughout the centuries. This does not, however, diminish the autonomy of Indian society. It has always worked for its people, without allowing any interference from political rulers, and has always sustained life and freedom through cooperation among people. It follows that the ‘élan’ of different civilizations is situated in different places. The vital power of a country lies in whatever it is that takes care of welfare as a whole. Any serious blow there will jeopardize the entire country. In Europe, politics or the state occupies that place, and its peoples depend upon it in almost every matter. India, however, owes its life to well-balanced Download 467.3 Kb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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