Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali writer who revamped the literature, art and music of India by adding postures of contextual modernism in his piece of writings. He was a pioneer amongst non-European writers and lyricists, who got noble prize in 1913 for his book of poem “Gitanjali” which embodied the English language with emotions and spirit of self and profound spirit of use of English words. He is known as “Gurudev” for his sense of nationalism and expressed his views on nationalism of West, Japan and Indian on different occasions by simple junctures for understanding the very nature of “Nation” and “Nationalism”. This was published for the political justification in response to chaos and turmoil created from the World War 1.
His arguments towards the nation are more constructive – not of the destructive nature which are intoxicating the nature with unnatural turmoil of instability of world’s living nations. Nation and nationalism are two big philosophies in front of him. He says: “Nation is the political and economic union of people, organized for a mechanical purpose.”
Further in his arguments, he says that every nation is unique with its mythology, symbols, culture and heroes. The acceptance of other nations and their national identity must be ensured by political means and diplomacy. The utmost consideration is that nation has their own history which is created by them. “Man’s history is being shaped according to the difficulties it encounters.”
He criticizes that political nationality must not be borrowed, instead, nation must shape its own political and social tendencies. In some places, he criticizes the abstract concept of nationalism, and generalizes its core concept by determining its different factors in philosophical and not by empirical maneuvering of its basic conceptualization of understanding.
Nationalism, for him, is humanity. His thoughts for humanity are far beyond and worldly sense to see the things behind the borders and connects those thoughts with the spirituality that persists in the nature of India by exemplifying the saints like Kabir, Nanak and Chaitanya.
Besides this, he says that this sense of spirituality is ruined with the chains of racist cults which have eroded the beauty of Indian culture. The basis of Indian philosophy are mingled in ancient Indian mythology where world is viewed as single nest for the humans, and connect it with peace, harmony, oneness, unity and welfare. Furthermore, for a nation, first and foremost is those cultural roots which they are carrying with themselves and accepting change with their own national sense and consciousness. He considers that no nation is superior or inferior over the other. Superiority complex has brought disintegration among the nations of world and totally disrupted the human nature with wars and destruction. Thus, far from political freedom, cognitive freedom (Freedom of mind) and volition of masses are indispensable and European sense of freedom is ruining us towards objective possession. The history of man is considerable the most. The untiring desire of man for man is impulsive and India must contribute to the world for betterment of humanity.
In Japanese nationalism, he adds that its delight and sober kind of nationalism, at the same time, is ancient and new. They have maintained their cultural and social tendencies by adding new spirits into the modernism. They have borrowed knowledge from Europe but not the temperament which cannot be coped with. Japanese have accepted the change: acceptance is change. Dogmas of modernism have shone in them with sublime practicality of knowledge, not the outer appearance. They rejected the borrowed nationality of Europe. The modern body is not pivotal for humans, rather modernized mind is required which they have gained.
