Foreign Influence on Rabindranath Tagore
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53573/rhimrj.2026.v13n03.008Keywords:
Foreign Influence, English Romanticism, Sufism, German Idealism, Gitanjali, Cross-Cultural Humanism, Bengal Renaissance, World LiteratureAbstract
In this research paper, an in-depth examination is undertaken of the multifaceted foreign influences that shaped the intellectual, literary, and philosophical vision of Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the Nobel Laureate poet, philosopher, and humanist from Bengal. The genius of Tagore did not develop in vacuum, it was developed in the meeting place of East and West and was fed by an impressive array of world traditions, such as English Romanticism, German Idealism, Persian Sufism, and French literary philosophy. The following paper follows the path of how Tagore assimilated, changed and merged these external influences into a distinctly Indian and still creatively universal voice. With the help of comparative textual analysis, biographical sources, and modern critical writing, the paper claims that, due to his interaction with outside intellectual trends, Tagore did not lose his Indianness, but on the contrary, enriched it by offering more depth. The study also indicates that the collection of Gitanjali (1913) which earned him a Nobel prize award and his other prose, drama and philosophical works represent an advanced form of intercultural dialogue that still remains relevant in the modern globalized world. The paper has come up with a conclusion that it is necessary to learn about these influences to not only appreciate the literary success of Tagore but also acknowledge his contribution to the world literature and cross-cultural humanism in general.
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