VOYAGE TOWARDS UNIVERSAL HUMANISM FROM NATIONALISM: A READING OF THE SELECT POEMS OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE (Pages 90- 96) by Mr. Samit Kumar Maiti in THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH SPECIALIST / ISSN: 2350-1499 (Online); 2350-0751 (Print)

Tagore is universally acknowledged as a humanist, because his poetry sings in eternal glory of man and humanism. In his early life, Tagore had shown his fascination for the trend of cultural nationalism. But with the passing of the time he emerged as the most virulent critic of nationalism. National egoism, racial arrogance, selfishness, competitiveness, inhumanity, jealousy, hatred, utilitarianism, lust for power, chauvinism, commercial and political motives were the vulgar forces that propelled Tagore to find solace in the philosophy of universal humanism. If the poem, “Jharer Kheya” (Voyage in a Tempest) bears Tagoreʼs anti-imperialistic sentiments, the poems like “Pran” (Life), “Bishwanritya” (Dance of the World) are the poems that are the poetʼs poetic expressions of his idea of universal humanism.agore is universally acknowledged as a humanist, because his poetry sings in eternal glory of man and humanism. In his early life, Tagore had shown his fascination for the trend of cultural nationalism. But with the passing of the time he emerged as the most virulent critic of nationalism. National egoism, racial arrogance, selfishness, competitiveness, inhumanity, jealousy, hatred, utilitarianism, lust for power, chauvinism, commercial and political motives were the vulgar forces that propelled Tagore to find solace in the philosophy of universal humanism. If the poem, “Jharer Kheya” (Voyage in a Tempest) bears Tagoreʼs anti-imperialistic sentiments, the poems like “Pran” (Life), “Bishwanritya” (Dance of the World) are the poems that are the poetʼs poetic expressions of his idea of universal humanism.Keywords: Tagore, poem, nationalism, universal humanism.