Heaven of freedom poem by rabindranath tagore analysis
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Heaven of freedom
Heaven of Freedom is taken from Gitanjali (Song Offerings), a collection of 103 English poems of Tagore translated by himself from Bengali with an introduction by W.B. Yeats. It contained translations of 53 poems from the original Bengali Gitanjali, as well as 50 other poems which were from his drama Achalayatan and eight other books of poetry – mainly Gitimalya (17 poems), Naivedya (15 poems) and Kheya (11 poems). This poem is more like a prayer. It was written towards the early part of the 20th century when the struggle for political Independence was going on in India.
Through this poem he expresses his vision of India as a heaven where there is freedom of thought, spirit, faith, speech which will lead to the inner perfection of the self. This is one of Tagore’s simple poems in which the poet draws the picture of a free nation with out any boundaries. It can be seen as an idealistic vision of India. This poem is like an offering to God, a prayer where the poet prays for a country which is a heaven of freedom. He prays for an atmosphere of fearlessness, a place where people can walk without the fear of being arrested. In India people had lost their freedom in all spheres under the British rule. They had no self respect and they were divided on the basis of religion so that the British colonisers could rule over Indians for a longer period of time. The poet is referring to a nation where the people can hold their head high and will have dignity and self respect.
According to him knowledge should be free to all. There should be no division among the people on the basis of caste or creed and no monopoly in providing education. Earlier only the high caste people had the privilege of being educated where as in the heaven of freedom imagined by Rabindranath Tagore people belonging to any section of the society will have free access to education. He wants the people to work with their hearts which is possible only if their minds are free. Further he goes on to pray for a world which is not fragmented or broken in the name of religious, cultural, economic or political issues. Being an internationalist, Tagore advocated for a world government where different cultures co- existed simultaneously. He longs for an undivided world where there is tolerance among the people, a world where people have the courage to speak truth and hold truth at any cost. He addresses God as the Father of the Universe and humbly requests him to awaken our country to such a heaven of freedom where thought is not limited by the age old customs and superstitious beliefs
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Explanation:
Through the poem Heaven of Freedom, Tagore deals with the real meaning of freedom and the true values of Heaven. He talks about heavenly freedom. Heaven is possible anywhere even also on the Earth. Freedom of thoughts, ideas, mind, rules, and dogmas transfer earth into heaven. If freedom comes based on the ideology of Tagore then the earth would transform into heaven. This heaven is compared with a Utopian State where there is no suffering and no sin. We can create such heaven through deeds, ambition and aspirations. The real heaven is nothing but created by men.
Tagore talks on the importance of a fearless mind, self-confidence and free knowledge. The mind of men should not have any fear but brave and courageous to sustain and maintain the truth. The high goal is equally important in life to achieve the freedom. Being a pioneer of Education in India, Tagore believes in the Education which must be free and not bound in any narrow bookish system of examination only. Further, Tagore talks about the unity of the nation he rejects the system of narrow domestic walls that separate men from men. Free and frank communication with every people is very necessary to break the walls of separation. Tagore talks about freedom but freedom should be based on truth. He says about the truth in the following manner.
Tagore was very much influenced by Gandhi Ji. Tagore includes Gandhian philosophy of truth in his poetry. Gandhiji has fully accepted the value of truth in My Experiment of with Truth. For Gandhiji, Realization of the Truth is the purpose of human life. The poet was very influenced and impressed by Gandhi and presents the value of truth. To get the freedom, the poet believes in perfection. It comes after hard and continuous efforts. Freedom of Heaven is a very thoughtful poem which presents the idea that the heaven is nowhere; heaven is itself on earth. Tagore stresses on fearlessness, free knowledge, no domestic struggle, truth, perfection. The poem may remind the Gandhian philosophy of Truth and the philosophy of thoughts and action of Jawaharlal Nehru. Tagore’s views can be compared with the slogan of French revolution Equality, liberty and Brotherhood. Tagore was a great nationalist and mighty internationalist. His poetry is born out of an amalgam of the rich classical heritage of ancient India.