‘That heaven of freedom’

Naina Dhillon

I STUDIED a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore that filled my heart with pride and strength. But as I read it to my students today, I am at a loss for words. What do I tell these 30 eager young minds?   

‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.’ Today, I live in a country where I have to think twice before expressing pride at my rich cultural heritage. I cannot be proud of who I am because I might anger the ‘custodians of Indian culture’. I need to be careful about what I say because it might not be politically correct, simply because I don’t belong to the majority.

‘Where knowledge is free.’ Today,  what I study is being dictated by the ‘guardians’ of my country’s heritage. There is a silent saffronisation of the education system that has earlier produced world leaders. Knowledge is restricted to what is truly ‘Indian’. Who decides what is truly Indian is another story. 

‘Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.’ I am defined by my caste and I still have to specify my religion in almost every official form. But my husband and I belong to different religions and we have given our children the freedom to choose their faith. They might be God fearing yet not ascribe to any faith. Sadly, that choice is not theirs to make anymore.

‘Where words come out from the depths of truth.’ There is greater success in being dishonest and honesty is considered a weakness. ‘Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.’ I see a culture of shortcuts and corruption.  

‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.’ I see no reason and rationality in anything happening around me. I am told what to eat, and as a girl, I am reminded that my safety is my responsibility.  

‘Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever widening thought and action.’ There is a growing mindset that is intolerant of same-sex marriages, that is against the sharing of culture and music, that is quick to take the law into its own hands.  

‘Into that heaven of freedom my father let my country awake.’ Almost seven decades after Tagore wrote this prayer, are we any closer to what he and thousands of freedom fighters had envisioned for a free India? We are told what to eat, we are defined by our caste, we are constantly reminded that some of us are a minority and need to watch what we say and what we do. 

As a teacher I would like to ask the ‘custodians of Indian culture’, what do I tell my students? More importantly , I would like to ask them, have they answered Tagore’s prayer?