A Short Summary of the Poem "Where the Mind is without Fear" by Rabindranath Tagore

Where the Mind is without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore

About the Author: 

Rabindranath Tagore contributed greatly to giving a modern India a place on the world literary scene. He was a multi-faceted personality. He was a poet, a dramatist, a short story writer and a novelist. He was also a philosopher and a nation builder. He wrote primary in Bengali but translated his own works into English. His important translated volumes of poetry are Gitanjali and The Gardener. The songs of Gitanjali are mainly devotional poems in the Indian tradition. His Crescent Moon is a collection intended primary for children but it has a powerful appeal also for adults. The Gardener is mainly love poetry. Tagore's translations of his Bengali poems are in free verse. Tagore draws most of his imagery from Indian philosophy and spiritualism.

Summary of the Poem: 

        Rabindranath Tagore's poem If is a part of a larger poem The Heaven of Freedom which is one of his most anthologized poems. It is an expression of the poet's reflective spirit. It contains a simple prayer for his country, the India of pre-Independence times. The prayer has a universal message which makes it an immortal. The poem is written in the form of a prayer. The poet prays before God where he puts a picture of an Independent India which is an ideal country free from all negative things. The poem is about the expectations of the poet from free, Independent country. 

        The poet expects his citizens to be free from all kinds of fears. The poet is referring to the fear which the people have about the rulers in pre- Independence India. All the citizens, of all classes, of all genders, of all races, religions and castes should be free from all kinds of fears. They should live their life with pride and dignity. The poet expects that the education should be free to all. The state shall not charge anything for the education. All, rich and poor should have access to the education. The poet expects that there should not be any narrow domestic walls between the citizens. These narrow walls of religions, castes, languages, and states hinder the progress of humankind and it fragments the world. The poet expects that there should not be any place for such narrow domestic walls in Independent India.

        The poet prays before God that all people should speak the truth. They should be sincere, honest and truthful to themselves and to others. The poet expects his citizens to strive for perfection. They should work continuously. All the people should carry their duties and responsibilities. They should work hard and try to bring the perfection in whatever thing they are doing. They should always go for excellence in their fields. The poet expects the people to be logical, rational and scientific in their personal as well as public life. They should not accept anything blindly. They should always question whatever they have been told and should demand the proof for everything. They should not accept superstitions. The poet prays that his countrymen should always have broad thoughts and they should put those thoughts into action. They should not only speak great things but should put them into action. Their thoughts and actions should go hand in hand. The poet considers the state of 'freedom' as a 'heavenly thing' and he wants his country to have that heaven of freedom. In the last line of the poem the poet uses personification where he says that; "Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake". He considers the country as a living thing and he expects it 'to awake' from sleep. The poem is written in free verse and does not follow any rhyme scheme.