Mind Without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore
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.
The Unity of a Nation
For thousands of years, India has captivated the minds of the Western world. It had been seen as a far away land filled with exotic trade goods, and an exotic culture. India is accustomed to the presence of foreign influence, most notably the British occupation. Through India's independence movement, they have since gained political and economical autonomy. However, this did not mark the end of Western Influence in India. With the increasing globalization of the world, America and India have become great trade partners. India has begun modernizing at a rapid rate, conflicting with old traditions and values. Holding India together in these changing times more than anything else is the sense of unity and oneness that has always been apart of India.
At the time of the Indian colonization, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world. It seems unfathomable that the formally third-world India could successfully fight against their British rulers. Britain controlled India by splitting up the various areas, and groups and ruling them separately. Even before British rule, India forced itself into a self-segregation amongst different classes, religions, and regions. Divided, the true power of the Indian people was subdued, and the British were able to take advantage of this. However, some Indians refused to accept the oppression forced upon them by their rulers. Great figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore inspired millions of their countrymen sparking the beginning of India’s Nationalism.
Tagore’s most famous work the Gitanjali touches on a wide array of subjects. A section of this collection titled, “A Mind Without Fear,” represents the restrained voice of the nation. Tagore wishes for a mind “without fear, and the head held high.” The British’s rule caused the ethnic Indians to not only live their lives in fear, but also caused them to lose their pride in being Indian. The British, using India for wealth and natural resources, held the Indian people down. He desires a world “where knowledge is free,” a reference to the British policy of restricting the educational opportunities of Indians. This restriction was partially out of neglect, but also out of a fear of the Indian uprising. Another impediment to Indian independence was the world “broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.” These narrow walls refer to the segregation that the Indians opposed upon themselves. The caste system separated the higher classes from the “untouchables.” Tagore knew that without a unity amongst all classes, India would never be able to fight against its oppressors the British. It was a voice like Tagore’s that was desperately needed in a time when extremists were ruling the independence movement. It was ultimately the joint power of the Indian people that ousted the British in 1947.
The idea of unity is also present in the Bhagavad-Gita, the spiritual text for Hindis and most Indians. This text involves a conversation between Lord Krishna and the troubled Pandava brother Arjuna. Krishna reveals to Arjuna the idea of harmony that is evident in the world all around him. Even in opposites such as life and death, joy and suffering, there is a common thread of harmony. The Gita states, “If the light of a thousand suns were to rise in the sky at once, it would be like the light of that great spirit.” This image we are left with is one of great power, which is beyond most regular comprehension. “Arjuna saw all the universe in its many ways and parts, standing as one in the body of the gods.” Spiritually, we see that India is closely tied to this idea of harmony and unity, and it is natural that this plays a large role in their lives.
Since its independence India has grown into one of the world’s emerging super powers. Economically, India is growing at an extremely fast pace. The overabundance of jobs has meant that many have ventured out into the work force that may have previously stayed at home. With jobs such as call-centers on American time, many even work night hours. The family unit, which has always been the most important, is being challenged by this new growth. For some this is troubling, as they worry that traditional Indian values and the family unit will be lost. For others, this is an exciting time as more opportunity will be ultimately good for the country. The growing division between the middle class and poor is another concern. Perhaps it is time for India to once again invoke its unity and harmony in this modern time. Throughout history, India has shown some of its greatest strength when it was a unified front. India is undoubtedly headed to economic superiority, however, unity and harmony should not be forgotten just to get there.
