CRUX OF LIFE

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. - Rabindranath Tagore I remember this iconic poem since childhood. During our very long assembly time at school, this was one of the poems that we recited daily. At that time, I think I didn't realise the power of these lines. What a powerful plea to the divine to awaken the country to this vision of freedom!! I am now glad that I had this experience in school and realise how it had impact on my younger subconscious self, even if full understanding and appreciation came later. It's inte...