Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Freedom’ when read in conjunction with his famous composition in Gitanjali – ‘Where the mind is without fear‘ craft an image of his dream Motherland, of his beloved Matribhoomi as he would have wanted to see her. As citizens who live in a free India in the 21st century, it is critical to encourage and promote a multi-faceted samvaad or dialogue on the nuances of the term ‘freedom’ so that the task of nation-building can continue on the path that further glorifies India and further privileges every one of her citizens. The poem is equally relevant for a global audience.
Freedom from fear is the freedom I claim for you, my Motherland! – fear, the phantom demon, shaped by your own distorted dreams;
Freedom from the burden of ages, bending your head, breaking your back, blinding your eyes to the beckoning call of the future;
Freedom from shackles of slumber wherewith you fasten yourself to night’s stillness, mistrusting the star that speaks of truth’s adventurous path;
Freedom from the anarchy of a destiny, whose sails are weakly yielded to blind uncertain winds, and the helm to a hand ever rigid and cold as Death;
Freedom from the insult of dwelling in a puppet’s world, where movements are started through brainless wires, repeated through mindless habits; where figures wait with patient obedience for a master of show to be stirred into a moment’s mimicry of life.
