Freedom from Fear | A Poem by Rabindranath Tagore | Read by Arup K. Chatterjee

This episode of Poetry Readings by Arup K. Chatterjee presents a contemplative expression of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Freedom,” a poem written in English during a moment of profound national and civilizational turbulence. Though composed in 1917, Tagore’s words feel startlingly contemporary, offering a vision of freedom that reaches beyond jurisdictions, political struggles, and historical moments. The reading invites listeners to delve into the poem not merely as a literary artefact, but as a profound meditation on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of liberation.

Tagore’s “Freedom” is often cited as a political poem, yet its political concerns do not resemble the expected register of protest or patriotic fervour. Instead, the poem articulates a conception of freedom that is deeply interior. It locates emancipation not in the overthrow of rulers, nor in the attainment of independence alone, but in a transformation of consciousness. For Tagore, the true chains upon a nation are often self-forged, like fear, passivity, blindness, and a refusal to imagine the future. This insight forms the core of this reading, which underscores the poem’s insistence that liberation must begin in the mind before it can shape the world.

Throughout the poem, Tagore addresses India as “motherland,” yet his appeal is not limited to one nation. The fears he identifies—the burdens of inherited history, the paralysis of habits, the mistrust of truth’s adventurous paths—are conditions that afflict societies across time and geography. By situating the poem within both its original historical context and its broader philosophical implications, the poem’s interpretation speaks to any community struggling under the weight of its past, uncertain of its direction, or trapped in cycles of mechanical existence.

The poem’s images are vivid and unsettling. Tagore writes of “the burden of the ages” that bends the nation’s head and blinds its eyes to the future. He evokes the “shackles of slumber” in which a people willingly bind themselves, mistrusting even the star that points towards truth. These metaphors do not accuse an external tyrant; they critique internal inertia. Tagore is drawing attention to the psychological and moral conditions that prevent a nation from rising to its fullest potential. Freedom, in this vision, can never be conferred from outside; it must be awakened from within.

The poem reaches its most dramatic moment when Tagore describes the “insult of dwelling in a puppet’s world.” In this bleak landscape, life is governed by “brainless wires” and “mindless habits.” Human beings, instead of acting with intention, merely repeat motions, waiting to be stirred into a mimicry of life by an unseen master of the show. For Tagore, mechanization is not simply a political condition; it is a diminishment of the human soul. The poem stands as a warning against the surrender of agency, creativity, and moral judgment.

Yet “Freedom” is not a nihilistic poem. It is neither resigned nor despairing. At its heart lies a plea—urgent, passionate, and hopeful—for awakening. Tagore calls for freedom from weakness, from mistrust, from mechanical obedience, and from a destiny left to blind winds. He calls for courage, clarity, and vigilance. The reading hopes to capture this rising arc of the poem, allowing the listener to hear both the lament for what has been lost and the aspiration for what may still be achieved.

The reading also highlights the continuity between Tagore’s poem and his larger philosophical outlook. Across his writings, Tagore consistently argued that the health of a nation depended on the moral and spiritual life of its people. Political freedom, he believed, was hollow unless accompanied by ethical responsibility and inner transformation. “Freedom” condenses this worldview into a series of lyrical appeals, each line sharpening the distinction between outward independence and inward liberation.

What makes this episode particularly compelling is how it bridges the historical with the contemporary. The delivery allows Tagore’s words to breathe, enabling modern listeners to recognize themselves in the poem’s concerns. In an age marked by uncertainty, collective anxieties, and technological automation, the poem’s critique of mechanical existence and passive obedience acquires renewed significance. The call for courage and clarity resonates with striking intensity.

Ultimately, this reading of “Freedom” invites the listener to consider the poem not merely as a historical document but as an ethical summons. Tagore’s vision of liberation remains relevant because it recognizes that freedom is never complete. It must be cultivated, protected, and renewed with every generation. The episode stands as a reminder that the struggle for true emancipation—whether personal or collective—begins with the awakening of consciousness itself.