Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free where the world has not broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward 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
Where The Mind is Without Fear poem by Rabindranath Tagore
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free where the world has not broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward 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
Introduction: This poem has been taken from unit 35 of “Gitanjali”, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, a great poet, and patriot. In this poem, the poet describes his dream of future India.
This is lyric number is thirty-five in Tagore’s Geetanjali. It is different from the rest of the previous poems. Most of the earlier lyrics deal with spiritual love, but this is politically And was included in Geetanjali from one of Tagore’s Bengali works written much earlier. It is regarded as one of the most popular and effective lyrics of Tagore.
Translation of the Poem
It is an inspirational poem. In it, the poet prays for the spiritual emancipation of his country. The poet wants his countrymen to be fearless. They should be bestowed.
With such virtues as may enable them to live a respectable life. Education should be imparted to his country free of cost. There should be no division of caste. Creed or nationality. There should be unity in his country, and it should be free from petty disputes. Love should be the basis of their mutual relationship, and people should always be making endless efforts to achieve perfection in every walk of life. They should be and rational. They should not give up reason and justice for the sake of dead habits. In other words, they should be dynamic. They should be broad-minded, and their mind should always be busy thinking new and noble thoughts. The poet prays to God to make his country such a heaven of freedom where people may have full spiritual and intellectual development opportunities.
where the mind is without fear Summary
In this poem, Rabindranath Tagore prays to God to make his countrymen fearless, self-respecting and truthful. They can be fearless and self-respecting only when they know, knowledge of their rights and duties and responsibilities, knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Hence, the poet wants that knowledge should be freely imparted to all the citizen of his country. No one should be prevented from acquiring knowledge based on caste, creed, and sex. There should be no division of the society these petty disputes for these divisions make the country weak. He would like all citizens of his country to be truthful for truth is such a virtue as is liked by all. The poet would like his countrymen to make an endless effort to achieve perfection in whatever they do. This is an age of competition. No one can establish himself in society in a respectable position unless he attains perfection or eminence in his specific field and that is possible only when people are always striving to achieve perfection. The poet prays to God that he may inspire his countrymen to be just and rational. They should never give up justice and reason for the sake of dead and outdated habits, Customs, and traditions. Such bad habits are based on superstitions and wrong thinking. These habits and customs will do no good for anybody. Rabindranath Tagore prays to god that he may inspire his countrymen with noble ideas. They should be broadminded. May God inspire them never to deviate from the right path
Critical Appreciation of the Poem
Tagore was a realist. He was not merely a mystic who lives an ascetic life. Love He knew well that no spiritual emancipation is possible unless people live in slavery. It was a time when our country was under British rule. He, therefore, wanted his countrymen to be liberated from the clutches of British slavery. He wanted to see India as an independent country. The poem describes Tagore’s dream of the future of India. He imagines an ideal state and wants his country to attain that state. He would like to see his countrymen fearless, self-respecting, educated, truthful, broad-minded, just, rational, progressive, thoughtful, and devoted to the country’s unity and integrity. The poem gives us an idea of Tagore’s vision of free India. It also tells us how progressive, far-sighted, and broad-minded the poet was. He was against useless customs and traditions that obstruct the path of progress.