ABSTRACT
Rabindranath Tagore’s genuine patriotic and cosmopolitan sentiments, somewhat mutually incompatible, conflict with his personal views on modernism, industrialism and, above all, nationalism. On the other hand, he harbours a nostalgic fondness for the pristine and serene forest culture of Hindu mythology and folklore. This chapter argues that Tagore’s anti-state and anti-nationalist outlook is imbricated in his vision of Universal Unity and Universal Life. This worldview coloured his understanding of the rational and national role of the state both in India and in the West, particularly United Kingdom. Nevertheless, this lacuna or bias does not devalue his grand vision of human life in a world of unity in diversity he envisioned.
