28 July 2008

"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."
(Rabindranath Tagore)

This poem is in the new song book at school and when I was re-reading this much loved poem, it made all the more heart-rending, all that has happened in India in the past few days--beginning from the 'Tamasha' in Parliament to the sadness of the bomb blasts. Tagore was against the idea of even Nationalism, believing truly in a world without borders. But oh oh, what our world has become, where intolerance for others who are different in thought (which comprises religion, politics, point of view) or speak a different language or look different, has increased.
But I do see a new hope dawning. Somehow, with the whole problem with climate change and how it is really affecting ALL of us, maybe the people of the world will be forced to accept that we are all one and truly need each other for our individual survival.

3 comments:

  1. Really enjoyed that poem!

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  2. its a nice poem and i hope what u wrote abt the world coming together comes true else we will have the world no more

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  3. You are right; soon the world will have to unite..or we will fight over food and water too. And then where will we be?

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