Tagore and Gandhi
I could not understand why historians have to compare Tagore and Gandhi. When I first read Gandhiji's works and literature on Gandhi, I instantly admired him and became a keen observer of some of his principles like ahimsa and simplicity. When I started reading Tagore's works, I instantly fell in love with him !!!! I was prompted to consume volumes of literature about Tagore. I had this compulsion to know every aspect of Tagore. I tried to read every piece of work and words that were ever told and written about him. He appeared to be the ideal person who was all that vedanta could convey. Indeed, I was stunned that he was the first person to be of that characteristics to have gained a place in both international arena and common man's hearts (apart from personalities who were branded as proper Saints like Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, etc).
Gandhi was a great political leader, helping the masses decide what is good for the country as a whole and how those objectives could be achieved. Tagore, on the other hand, is one of the greatest poets, intellectual and independent thinker. He always attacked the individual. I could not appreciate why a comparison has to be struck between these two personalities. Works of two mathematicians or physicists could be compared but that's not the case here. It makes an awkward read and irks me since plenty of literature is devoted to it. The only reason I could conceive is that they both were in the same time period, deeply involved with the freedom struggle and influenced people.
To me, this comparison need not arise at all. Yes, they did share different views about nationalism ( read patriotism), cultural boundaries, social policies for the upliftment of the society, etc. there are always different view points to any issue and this does not necessarily give rise to a "compare and contrast" of personalities.
Gandhiji and Tagore were great in their own might. We really cannot compare two personalities in different walks of life - leadership in politics versus pen(pen alone will be demeaning of Tagore's versatility). Why not leave it at that. Or is that what is required of historians.
Gandhi was a great political leader, helping the masses decide what is good for the country as a whole and how those objectives could be achieved. Tagore, on the other hand, is one of the greatest poets, intellectual and independent thinker. He always attacked the individual. I could not appreciate why a comparison has to be struck between these two personalities. Works of two mathematicians or physicists could be compared but that's not the case here. It makes an awkward read and irks me since plenty of literature is devoted to it. The only reason I could conceive is that they both were in the same time period, deeply involved with the freedom struggle and influenced people.
To me, this comparison need not arise at all. Yes, they did share different views about nationalism ( read patriotism), cultural boundaries, social policies for the upliftment of the society, etc. there are always different view points to any issue and this does not necessarily give rise to a "compare and contrast" of personalities.
Gandhiji and Tagore were great in their own might. We really cannot compare two personalities in different walks of life - leadership in politics versus pen(pen alone will be demeaning of Tagore's versatility). Why not leave it at that. Or is that what is required of historians.
They compare because it is topic for a Ph.D. 300 pages ca be easily written. nothing more
ReplyDeleteGandhi and Tagore are compared for two reasons.
ReplyDelete1) They were the two great men who were the soul of the Indian conscience in terms of thoughts and actions.
2) They both imbibed and manipulated British psyche in effective way, but differently
It is natural to compare them, though it is not logical to establish who is better than the other.
So I feel you need not be irked by that.