Rabindranath Tagore at the age of 40 (approximately). "But, the British rule in India is completely in the middle of the field of work. The wind of thoughts that can refine the poison of that work is not strong there. Because of this, the poison is accumulating on the inside. An Englishman, who at a young age somehow passes a hard examination and goes there to run the country, completely enters the poisonous and hot air there. There the alcohol of power is very strong. The attraction of receiving a salute gets mixed up with the bone-marrow. And the pride of prestige does not bow its head even to religion. Yet, the thoughtful scholars of England who can recite profound chants all the time for preventing the decay, are out of touch there. For this reason, the Englishmen living in India pushes out our hearts so much. For this reason, the Englishmen living in India do not get acquainted with the greatness of India in any way. To them we are very small. Our literature, our religious reforms, our actions for the good of the country do not exist to them at all. We are a customer in their market, a clerk in an office, a babu of an advocate, a defendant or an accuser in a court. They do not look at us with complete human heart. They do not get acquainted with our complete human existence. In this condition, the execution of work for enforcement of rules may be well done, but something bigger than that gets damaged. Because discipline is not the same thing as the good of the people. And if we get a gift of a good thing from someone, but we do not get the person with that, then we cannot accept that gift with all our heart. So that gift does not glorify the gift giver. Nor does it satisfy the gift receiver." Translated from Bengali. The last paragraph of an article written during a trip to England in 1912. Previous  Next  List  Home