Yes, you read it right. Rabindranath Tagore, the poetic force of our national anthem was against the idea of nation and nationalism. To him, it was merely a machine that in the name of freedom enslaved the most honest men into blindly robbing others of their human rights with a comfortable feeling of having done one's duty.

Tagore wrote this at the time when Europe was going through a grave social disorder as the continent was torn apart with blood and the rise of nation states form the breakdown of Austrian Empire. The high fervour of nationalism in the West had created more divisions, and thus, more issues for survival. Humanity was one of the least concerns of the West at that point. It took two world wars for Europe to realise the importance and the need of humanity which was something that India never lacked- the spiritual arms of India always promoted harmony. It is in this context that Tagore rejected nationalism, a western creation that should not be imitated by Asia for we should aim to live above petty divisions.

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