Comment on Tagore’s letter as a protest against the British rule in
India?
Rabindranath Tagore , a great literary figure in the indian
subcontinent , possessed a humanitarian heart and was great moved
when he would see his fellow countrymen suffering terribly at the
hands of the imperial rulers. His reactions were forceful and made his
rejection of the Knighthood .There is no doubt the great poet
Rabindranath Tagore loved his motherland from the very core of his
heart like all the great men of the world. His innumerable poems and
songs in Bengali represents his motherland . It is true that he did not
join in the struggle for the independence of India because the time and
circumstances were not in favour for the physical participation in the
struggle for independence . But Rabindranath composed many poems
against the British Raj and their evil deeds.
One such occasion was the brutal killing of the innocent and helpless
unarmed people at Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar in the Punjab. The
massacre took place on 13 April 1919. The British Indian soldiers
opened fire on a peaceful gathering of the Indians at Jallianwala Bagh,
Amritsar of Punjab. They killed almost 400 Indians on the spot and
left many others injured. The reactions from common people were
fierce. They strongly protested the brutal killing by the rulers.
Hearing the news of Punjab,Tagore was shocked at the brutality of the
British rulers. As a mark of protest,he decided to give up the
Knighthood which the British govt had given to him four years earlier
in 1915. He was quite fit for such an honour. They thought that the
acceptance of the title was the mark of loyalty to them and they
found a great supporter . But they were mistaken in their
understanding. The award of the title could not mislead him from the
path of patriotism. Finally , he made up his mind to renounce the
knighthood as a protest.
He wrote his letter to Lord Chelmsford rejecting Knighthood as a
reaction against the mass killing in Jallianwala Bagh of Amritsar by
the the British rulers. This rejection is the mark of his patriotism.
Because he was full of hatred against the British rule. He could not
bear more oppression of the govt. Tagore did not denounce the British
rule altogether, he protested the British rulers . However , the way he
exposed the cruel aspects of the British Raj in his letter and it shows
his true feelings towards the British government. The rejection of the
Knighthood by a great personality like Tagore definitely created much
pressure on the British government.
The Amritsar massacre moved Tagore deeply . In his view , it was
some local disturbances, which could have been handled in a much
softer way. Being blinded , the British rulers killed the unarmed
unfortunate Indians. As the government took no action against this
barbarous killing , they had lost the moral force to rule India.
Tagore was deeply shocked at the inhuman treatment to the local
people by the British rulers. His protest against the atrocities by the
British rulers had been forceful and strong. Though , he did not reject
the British rule altogether , he certainly protested against the Punjab
killing. After rejecting the title , he came to the row the common men
who suffered terrible injustices and inhuman treatment at hands of the
so-called civilized people. Tagore set up an example of bold
patriotism by renouncing the title of the Knighthood . Moreover, his
letter to the Viceroy is a protest against the inhuman aspects of British
rule in India.
