Tagore and Gandhi ( Source – Mint LoungeWikipedia Page)Both Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore are significant personalities in Indian history and you might be familiar with both of them. Let’s talk about a fascinating friendship between the two personalities.
You know it was March 6, 1915, when they first time met in a place called Santiniketan. In January 1915 Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa and after one and half months the beautiful journey of friendship started between them which was filled with deep discussions and respect for each other.
At the time of their first meeting, Tagore was a celebrated figure, having won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. While Gandhi was still on the path to becoming an iconic leader he would finally be recognized as.
You know they both have different backgrounds and experiences, their meeting was facilitated by their common friend, C F Andrews, who acquainted Tagore with Gandhi’s work in South Africa. This means it was C F Andrew who introduced Tagore to Gandhi’s work in South Africa.
Santinketan was founded by Tagore in 1901, It was the same place where they both met first time and the interesting thing was Tagore looked majestic, while Gandhi was simple yet remarkable. Despite their differences, the conversation they had covered everything from deep philosophy to everyday matters like how to cook puris. Gandhi’s visit left a big impression, and now every year on March 10, they remember that special day with ‘Gandhi Punyaha Din’.
As we discussed above they had differences, let me discuss one such incident so you understand easily Once, after a big earthquake, Gandhi said it was a punishment for mistreating lower caste people. But Tagore disagreed, saying humans are better than nature’s punishments. Even on lighter topics like food, they had their views.
But the best part about their friendship was despite their disagreements, they stayed friends, respected each other’s ideas, and even gave each other special names it was the Tagore who called Gandhi ”Mahatma” meaning Great soul, and Gandhi called Tagore “Gurudev” meaning Teacher.
Gandhi once said they never fought, which shows how strong their friendship was. They both believed in truth, kindness, and making the world a better place.
Additional Information about their differences you should know
Difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism? This question was asked in upsc 2023 mains.
Start your answer with a brief introduction about both personalities for example Both personalities are the key figures in India’s independence. despite their friendship, they had distinct opinions on education and nationalism.
In Body mention the difference like this
Education:
Gandhi believed in the concept of ‘Nai Talim or Basic Education, he advocated holistic education that nurtured practical, intellectual, and moral skills. He promoted practical education to bridge the elite-mass divide.
Tagore: he emphasized more liberal and cosmopolitan education. He founded Shantinketan to promote arts, creativity, and cultural integration. His philosophy sought to cultivate well-rounded individuals who could value and enrich the world’s diverse cultures.
Nationalism:
Gandhi’s nationalism was characterized by nonviolence and satyagraha. His nationalism was rooted in the idea of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and swaraj. He promoted the idea of boycotting British goods and institutions.
Tagore envisioned a nationalism beyond borders, he focused on cultural unity and harmony. He saw India’s heritage as a bridge between East and West and always believed nationalism should unite, not isolate, India within global civilization.
In conclusion
while Gandhi focused on practical education and nonviolence, shaping his nationalism, on the other hand, Tagore, had a liberal approach with a universalistic view of nationalism