Where the mind is without fear

This poem was recently shared by a dear Indian friend with a group of us.

Written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) in Bengali in 1901 and translated by the author into English in 1912, it speaks to universal desires for absence of fear, for dignity, free education, unity beyond division, truthful speech, hard work and striving, reason over superstition, and guidance of God towards freedom.

In 1913, Tagore, as first non-European, received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry collection Gitanjali, which included "Where the Mind is Without Fear".

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

A poem that feels more relevant than ever, in many countries around the world.