Rabindranath Tagore's speeches: Santiniketan Mandir

...have hurt my ears severely. In entire India, it is only in Bengal, that Sanskrit pronunciation is such non-Aryan. Mutilation of Sanskrit in such a manner, I have not seen in any other state. Especially convolution of utter-able mantras is to be considered a blunder. Since it has hurt me, I had to say this.

In today’s youth of Bengal, a sense of arrogance can be noticed. No law or order…

Not only pronunciation, unruly behaviour isn’t any less offensive. It makes society bereft of its well-being. These days, how amongst the youth arrogance and social illegitimacy are increasing, I have never seen such against the gentle norms of any civilized country. Such norms bring success as well as harmony to work. Audacity to defy it in public wrongly and unabashed is getting expressed. Within the limits in which one gets to learn about self-restraint since childhood, those limits…

This is not that dispute. The youth of the country is not accepting its traditional values. The ones whose heads God has held high; are trying to make their heads stoop down. Like a pampered boy they are indulging in whims. They don’t want to pay heed to anyone’s restriction or prohibition. They say. “We are the youth, we would not listen to anyone.” They don’t want to credit law and order, but they are forgetting…

…being razed to the ground, students are deteriorating their characters. The dissent which has ethical strength is being reputed as weakness; this is called the exposition of the free will of the ambit of consciousness, indulged in the hands of female- folk. Those who are getting used to disobey and disregard rules and customs since childhood is losing the strength to owe up the responsibility of the nation in the future. One who is the weakest by nature amongst all is also the most unjustly pampered. They forget that those who break rules without hesitation can never make rules. This disintegrative mind is spreading viscously; in their hands, there is no establishment but only demolition of achievements. Groupism and sectarianism are resulting in cracks in the monumental refuge of the nation. Amongst students, those who are bringing damage to creative power and creative passion are doing so in the pretence of social responsibility. Inducting the ones who disrupt meetings, schools, and mindful thinking they are applauding, standing behind the wrath of destruction. At the age when one does not have the strength or experience to build up to something, in return for inclusion in their group, one is being addicted to the greatness of disruption. To divide the nation into fragments, they have encouraged the youth; it is the easiest job. From the very beginning, the political scenario in Bengal had distinctive self- disruptive forces. Till today, no creatively motivated directive for responsibilities is found- only attraction.

… had not let the Ashrama be ultimately devastated in attacks. It is only the greatest contribution of his life that he has left behind for us and all humans- at the moment when his corpse will get reduced to ashes, I am informing the inhabitants of the Ashrama about this, with deep respect.

Lectured at Santiniketan Mandir

Translated by Sri Nirmal Chandra Chattopadhyay

No one asks the question if there is justice; until spoken up against this attitude to fie upon, nothing well can happen to this society of ours. All of Russian literature and Cheap Novels have become your favourites. Those things which enable the formation of character; introduction to the literature books which help the mind prosper, you don’t read those. At your age, we…

In Bengal, the pleasure to fie upon has been relished by the groom's elder relatives at the expense of the brides. Now, this is ridden on disrespected school-teachers, antagonistic state- executives- in this, there is the feminine will of contention, no manliness. In the juvenile blind intoxication of deriving pleasure in uprooting the character- the work-arena of Bengal is barren and fruitless- there is no programme but only arrogant proclamation; as much as this is making us ashamed, I am feeling that further down the same path our shame will be dispelled. If aged politicians practice this destructive intellect, I can still grudgingly tolerate, but to attract the youth of Bengal towards the bounds of disorderly intoxication- there can be no greater self-mortality towards one’s own nation.

Any questions?