General English- Assignment 1

Amber
Dr. Shuby Abidi
B. A. English (h) - Semester 2
17th June 2021
Roll no: 20BLE004

Question- An essay on the vision of Nehru and Tagore as mentioned

in the prescribed texts.

At the stroke of midnight on 15th August 1947, as India gained independence from British rule, which
lasted for over 200 years, she also witnessed the horrendous effects of partition. This marked a turning
point in the nation’s history as now she was seeking allegiance from its citizens to concur a path towards
modernity and development. During this period of celebration and grief, almost everyone walking the
lands of India had a vision prepared in their minds. This vision transcended into the poems of
Rabindranath Tagore and the auspicious speech by our first Prime minister of independent India,
Jawaharlal Nehru. Both of them had almost a similar vision for the rebirth of this nation; although
carrying different perspectives, both these visions excelled in invoking a feeling of nationalism.

Nehru referred to the post-Independence era as a new adventure with new opportunities and
responsibilities before him and his nation. In his speech, he informed the Indian masses about the
challenges that lay ahead; how they should continue to believe in the message of Mahatma Gandhi and
stay on the course towards a brighter future. Nehru had dreamt of a peaceful India where prosperity
encircled it and only unity, strength and courage could’ve help the nation achieve its dream. He spoke
about the several challenges the country was dealing with and the opportunities that will help India
attain self-sufficiency. The ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech is among the most famous speeches by one of the
leading Indian politicians. On the one hand, it speaks of India’s centuries-old glory and on the other, a
golden future that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru dreamt of. Speaking from the Indian parliament, PM
Nehru articulated his vision for the new India, a vision that encompassed every Indian and wished them
a life of happiness and harmony. India was to become what Gandhi wanted it to be; the rising star in the
Eastern sky and the pride of the world.

Contrastingly, Tagore's poem ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ could only have been written by a
person whose experiences of life were that of a sage and whose intellect was suffused with historical
perspicacity. It was a pre-independence poem in which the poet sincerely urged God to awaken his
fellow beings of the need to live in a free and united country. He wanted his countrymen to enjoy a life
of full dignity and honor. Hoping that his countrymen would not be superstitious or believers of blind
faith, rather they would lead the life of enlightenment and intellect. Tagore envisioned his people, to be
honest, open-minded and industrious. For it was only with a stretch of their ‘arms towards perfection'
that the nation could actually achieve the apex of success. He requested God to free his country from
manipulation, corruption, and slavery and yearned for a nation accepting of new ideas and liberty. In his
conundrum full of anxiety about the fate of his nation, Tagore earnestly appealed to God for a changed
nation where people have their ‘heads high’ and ‘knowledge is free’. Seeking wisdom from His Father to
guide his countrymen through a moral awakening, he sowed seeds of liberation from the fear of
oppression, repression, and subjugation

As mentioned before, both pieces were extremely powerful in contending a vision of modernity and
freedom. They were packed with ethos in Nehru’s personal authority as the Indian Prime Minister and
his image of a responsible and charismatic political and in Tagore's reputation as the "Bard of Bengal"
and a prolific writer. Consecutively, in pathos, Nehru wanted to bring the nation’s attention towards the
most pressing challenges and leading opportunities that were there ahead. While Tagore's prayer-
invocation to God imagined a future nation emanating from an inner being of personal morality and
ethical probity. Tagore believed in the existence of the sacred godhead within us all and was convinced
that it is this fount of wisdom that makes possible the creation of a sphere within which the human in us
can thrive and prosper, and therefore considered it to be also the origin of our national identity. So,
while Nehru focused on an action statement for his citizens to follow, Tagore intertwined the same idea
as a spiritual awakening. He nurtured a dream for knowledge to be accessible to all and reminded us of a
great injustice that has been perpetrated on most of the humankind since the beginning of civilization.
The same vision was later ideated by Nehru as a responsibility of the majority to uplift the needy in vital
circumstances.

When put together, both these personalities highlighted the freedom struggle faced by Mother India in
the past and the repercussions of partition that awaits them in the future. They both contended on
invoking a great sense of nationalism in the masses that was able to penetrate through their wailing
hearts and provided them with a sense of warmth -in the case of Tagore- and meaning -in the case of
Nehru- to fill their broken hearts, if not their homes.