Reviews

The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore

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sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

5.0

"I am willing to serve my country, but my worship I reserve for Right which is far greater than my country. To worship my country as a god is to bring a curse upon it.”

"To tyrannize for the country is to tyrannize over the country”

How much can present day ultra-nationalists learn from him!

The infatuation of a married woman for her husband's friend aside, this book tries to bring out the pros and cons of then prevailing tools used by freedom fighters. Were those tools, emotionally attractive as they were, really effective? Who really bore the price for those satyagrahas? And most importantly, can a moment that includes mostly young volunteers be long expected to stay non-violent? Aren't some of them motivated by personal greed and need for glory? Tagore was the one who gave the title of Mahatma to Gandhi (the later returned the favour by calling him 'Gurudev') but it seems he was critical of later opinions. While Gandhi's ideal was localisation of government to village level. Tagore believed that even nationalism wasn't the end but only a step towards to something bigger. In this book too, the victory belonged to one who acted rationally rather than blindly pursuing ideal of nationalism.

And such beautiful prose that you know it is a poet writing it:

“that which is eternal within the moment only becomes shallow if spread out in time.”

“But when physical appearance evades the scrutiny of our senses and enters the sanctuary of our hearts, then it can forget itself. I know, from my childhood's experience, how devotion is beauty itself, in its inner aspect.”

“Purity, they imagined, was only becoming in those on whom fortune had not smiled. It is the moon which has room or stains, not the stars."

adyakaushik's review against another edition

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reflective

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

readcraftdanceaway's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kstim's review against another edition

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3.0

To preface this review, it is not my place to make any commentary about the culture and particular regional and era specific aspects of the novel. What I can remark on is how the author's (and Bimal's for that matter) narrative portrays a conflict between a nationalist movement and a more slightly pro globalism attitude which is reflective of the country's current political climate. Moreso a discussion about what it means to be of India, to be Indian, and to what to defines Mother India. Rooted into the economic conflicts of its time, the storytelling is poignant in capturing a nation divided. It seems that even alike America, our old problems come back to haunt our doorsteps. The issues of nationalism coupled with commentary on cow lynching and anti-Muslim sentiment are a recurring theme throughout history. Be it that we look back on our past and learn from it.

nishalovesbooks's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

joutha's review against another edition

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if ur not reading the bangla version, its not worth reading at all

jackelz's review

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informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

“When her passion is roused she loses her sensibility for all that is outside it. When, like the river, we women keep to our banks, we give nourishment with all that we have: when we overflow them we destroy with all that we are.”

Originally written in Bengali and published in 1916, THE HOME AND THE WORLD reflects Tagore's own inner conflict between embracing modern ideas and rejecting Western domination.

Nikhil is a wealthy Bengali landowner, and Bimala is his traditional wife. He encourages her to venture out into the world, but she doesn’t really have a political awakening until she meets Sandip. Their love triangle unfolds against the backdrop of the 1905 Partition of Bengal, while the two men clash regarding their position on the Swadeshi movement (foreign goods vs. domestic production).

This was a very character driven story. I wanted to love Bimala, but Nikhil ended up being the only likable character for me. He seemed to be only level headed one, as he truly wanted what was best for his wife. But Bimala got swept away by the sweet talking Sandip, then betrays Nikhil, and look how that turned out.

I learned about the Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi movement, so I still count that as a win.