The Crisis of Civilization Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)Santiniketan, April 1941 , Text.
The Crisis of Civilization Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)Santiniketan, April 1941 Today I complete eighty years of my life. As I look back on the vast stretch of years that liebehind me and see in clear perspective the history of my early development, I am struck by thechange that has taken place both in my own attitude and in the psychology of my countrymen --a change that carries within it a cause of profound tragedy. Our direct contact with the larger world of men was linked up with the contemporary history ofthe English people whom we came to know in those earlier days. It was mainly through theirmighty literature that we formed our ideas with regard to these newcomers to our Indian shores.In those days the type of learning that was served out to us was neither plentiful nor diverse, norwas the spirit of scientific enquiry very much in evidence. Thus their scope being strictly limited,the educated of those days had recourse to English language and literature. Thei...