"If a religious society wants to use external customs as shackles to tie a person's religious consciousness to a place, this religion, once it begins to respect it, you have to become a pure puppet for life." 」
This heart-warming discourse comes from the Indian poet Saint "Tagore", full of patriotic passion of the novel "Gora", this classic work of critical realism, set in the Indian national liberation movement of the 1870s and 1880s, through the protagonist Gora's two conversions of faith, always love the motherland's tortuous experience, reflecting the Indian people's anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle, the contradictions between Sanskrits and neo-Hindus, and the arduous journey experience experienced by India's modern ancestors on the road of national liberation.
The British colonialists consolidated their colonial rule in India after suppressing the Indian national uprising of 1857, but the emerging national bourgeoisie and proletariat in India also began to emerge and gradually grow at this time.
They advocated the reform of Hinduism, the absorption of European culture, and the struggle for greater political rights, and this faction of activities was called the Sanskrit Society, but in the sixties, some of the members of this group absorbed too much Christian views and despised their own culture.
In the national liberation movement in India, another trend of thought represented by intellectuals is neo-Hinduism, which advocates the development of national culture, the restoration of national self-esteem, the rejection of foreign flattery, and the cruel oppression of the Indian people by the colonialists, but they believe that to restore national self-esteem, it is necessary to strictly abide by all the traditions of Hinduism, even the decadent traditions.
The patriotic young Gora, who is in the vortex of confrontation between sanskrit and neo-Hinduism, on the one hand, he loves the cultural trend of Western openness, on the other hand, he has a strong national self-esteem, forcing himself to fully accept all the traditions of Hinduism, which leads to his inner desire to be extremely torn from external behavior, and thus hurts the family, lover and close friends who love him.
After experiencing the harsh blows of his true identity, he finally woke up, accepted the freedom and openness of the Sanskrit Society, dug up his mentality of contempt for his own culture, and defended the Hindu church, but resolutely eliminated all decadent stereotypes that violated the human nature of the times, and the painful transformation process of Gora was also the process of the new and old forces in the liberation of India at that time, between different sects, from confrontation to the liberation of the motherland.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >1, for the freedom of the motherland, he gave up everything and had no remorse</h1>
A nameless bird flew into the cage, not knowing where it came from.
My heart could not tie its feet, and it flew away, drifting away.
This is the beginning of the story, the song sung by a wandering monk along the street, which can also be seen as a symbol of Gora's transformation from the old Hindu control.
Gora was a fanatical patriotic youth and radical nationalist, and whenever anyone criticized India the slightest, he would be so angry that he roared with excitement when he heard someone laughing at his compatriots, he had preferred open, modern Sanskrit, but since he saw Western missionaries criticize orthodox Hinduism, he immediately turned himself into a faithful Hindu believer and made a series of radical actions that were contrary to his inner feelings.
Put the noble caste on the forehead
Sanskrit origin also comes from Hinduism, but two branches have emerged in the process of evolution, the largest of which is the Sanskrit Society, which Gora has always preferred and absorbed the free and open European trend.
However, he had always been extreme, and just because he heard the inappropriate remarks of individual missionaries about Hinduism, he was furious, and immediately turned against him, left the Sanskrit Society, and ordered himself to strictly practice the authentic tradition of Indian religion.
Indian religion, the original Brahmanism, divided India into five classes, four castes, with the status of brahmins, shaktis, Vedas and Sudras, the last class being untouchables, and the upper class of men could marry low-class women, and lower-class women could not enter the families of the noble castes under any circumstances.
In order to show his determination to maintain the caste system, Gora strangely glued the Brahmin caste to which the family belonged to him, and he clearly did not agree with this despicable system of dividing people into three, six, and nine grades, but on the outside he still personally defended this vice that made him sick in his heart.
Hurt loved ones and sacrifice love
In order to maintain his Hindu purity, Gora did not hesitate to hurt his beloved mother and refused to eat with her, simply because the maid who cooked for her mother was a Western Christian.
Gora's beloved girl, Sucharida, is a member of the Sanskrit community, and he repeatedly tries to transform her faith, Sucharida initially admired the decisive and fierce Gora, but after discovering the violent nature of his personal will, she questioned his blind religious behavior and insisted on herself, thus parting ways with Gora.
Binoye, a close friend of whom Gora had been practicing Hinduism, was about to marry a Sanskrit girl, and to no avail, he strongly opposed it to no avail, and Bi Nuoye told Gora that he could no longer tolerate a social group that required its members to make daily self-sacrifices to maintain it, and that if a social group refused to treat him as a man, but only as a puppet and a machine, he would no longer respect it and would only use it as a shackle.
Gora did not listen to any persuasion, blindly stubborn, insisting that violating Hindu rules was a betrayal of the motherland, so he lost his precious love and friendship.
Gora was the head of the school and the children in the neighborhood from an early age, and later became the president of the Indian Patriots Association, his only goal in life was to liberate the motherland, he firmly believed that the motherland would be independent and free, he was a tough guy who would rather die than bow to the colonial rulers, and he was a hero who stood up for the uneven road.
At the same time, he is also a person whose words and deeds are extreme, who cannot tolerate any disagreement, who is arbitrary and narrow-minded, and his love for the motherland is sincere, but his behavior is often counterproductive, making himself contrary to his purpose.
Through Gora, Tagore clearly expounded his ideas against imperialism, revivalism and the caste system, and at the same time, taking Gora as an example, he instructed everyone who strives for dreams and freedom not to go into the narrow circle of nationalism because of impulsive passions, to do things that are counterproductive, contrary to dreams and freedom, contrary to the original intention.
Great poet, writer: Tagore
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >2, for national liberation, he abandoned narrow-mindedness and took his own strengths</h1>
Just as Gora was preparing to undergo the ancient Hindu ritual of sin and become an ascetic, the purest and most thorough Brahmin, he was surprised to learn the astonishing truth that he was not An Indian at all, but of Irish descent.
This is really a precise blow, the self-proclaimed pure Indian religion, the descendants of the highest caste Brahmins, he turned out to be an Englishman he had always despised, his father was killed by the rebellious Indian soldiers, his own mother was saved by her Indian adoptive mother, after giving birth to him also died, he was not a Brahmin at all, did not belong to any Indian caste, even the lowest level of the untouchables were not qualified, so he was not qualified to be a Hindu.
Reflections brought about by real origins
Because of the change of identity, Gora took the example of himself, and all his efforts to maintain Hindu traditions lost their meaning, and his previous sacrifices to stick to principles, such as family, friendship, and love, became artificial burdens.
At this time, the mother who had adopted the son of the pagan Gora gave him the most direct revelation, in her mother's heart, there was no difference between religion and caste, the only thing she believed in was the truth, in her eyes everyone was alive, there was no need to be bound by doctrine and stereotypes, she was full of wisdom, broad-minded, approachable, without the arrogance of the so-called intellectuals.
Gora thought bitterly, and after deep reflection, finally discarded the previous rash and radical words and deeds, a true patriot will not rigidly stick to a certain form, all forms are in vain, inclusive, and absorb everything that is conducive to the development of the country and the liberation of the nation, which is the top priority and the most important thing for him as a patriot.
Abandon narrow-mindedness and go light
Gora is an honest and selfless man with a sense of responsibility, he did not complain when he was wrongly convicted and imprisoned, and after seeing a more real India in the countryside, he doubted his position, but he could not bear to abandon the sense of mission as an Indian.
After experiencing the blow of the great change of identity, after painful reflection, he finally let go of the shackles of identity, bravely pursued the love that was not affirmed by the doctrine, and sincerely served India, not just by relying on empty speeches that even needed to numb himself.
Gora regains his true nature and true tendencies, and the contradictions that previously existed in his heart are resolved. At the same time, he felt the truth beyond race, culture, etc., and thus completely changed his own extreme thinking, so that he won the understanding of his relatives and lovers, and also regained valuable friendship, and Gora, who abandoned the narrow nationalist ideas, was able to go into battle lightly and truly realize his great cause of Indian national liberation at a new starting point.
Tagore, a compassionate vegetarian
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >3, Tagore: the prototype of Gora, a national hero who combines poetry and the style of a national soldier</h1>
Mr. Lu Xun said: "Tagore is rich in national ideas and is a patriotic poet." He was not only an outstanding poet, but also an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal warrior.
In 1905, the British colonial governor-general Curzon issued a decree in India, plotting to divide Bangladesh into two parts and implement a policy of "divide and rule", which was strongly opposed by the Indian people and set off a vigorous national liberation movement, and Tagore enthusiastically threw himself into this movement.
Soon, Tagore realized that it was not necessarily a form of violence that could inspire the people's morale, and that ideological education could penetrate the hearts of the people, so he began to oppose violent action and advocated more "constructive" work, such as eliminating ignorance and poverty, so he began to specialize in creative and educational work, no longer directly involved in the national liberation movement, in 1901 he opened a school in the Holy Truth Nicotan, and in 1921 it was rebuilt into a famous international university.
Tagore realized that if he wanted to truly change the future and destiny of the country, he could not rely solely on external force, but also had to start with education and completely solve the internal causes, so he built a school and educated people, and Tagore's transformation can be seen as the prototype of Gora's transformation from narrow patriotism to inclusiveness for national liberation.
The reason why "Gora" has achieved great success is because it expresses the desire of the Indian people for independence and freedom, exposes the crimes of colonialism, arouses the patriotic enthusiasm of the people, truly reflects the tortuous mental journey of the people of that era to seek national liberation, and profoundly and comprehensively reflects the faces of all beings in the tide of National Liberation in India.
In the 110 years since its publication, Gora has won many international awards and been loved by people around the world, so the people of India not only called Tagore a "poetic saint" but also called him "the conscience of India." ”
The transformation of the distinct image of the patriot "Gora" is the epitome of India's national liberation, and it is also a reflection of the patriotic poet and literary artist Tagore's own mental journey, and it is also a beautiful song for the motherland and all the people in the world who fight for the motherland and freedom.