Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Where the mind is without fear....

Heard this on radio today, while driving to work. Not sure in what context the RJ was mentioning this poem, I had just switched on the radio.

This poem used to be one of my favorites, when I was in school. This is actually a prayer from Tagore's "Gitanjali". It embodies his vision of the kind of country and life...which he dreamt of.

Only when one reads this, realisation dawns on how far we are from where he wanted us to be....

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

1 comment:

Parul Kanse said...

Hi
It is my fav poem and also my cousin Bhavesh s . I remember on a trip to Nasik for the Ardha Kumbh mela talking to him on the phone and both of us reciting this poem. Thank you for bringing memories alive, Rajni.
Love
Parul