Tagore connected Russell’s work to ancient verse
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In October 1912, Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian writer, wrote a letter to Bertrand Russell, a British mathematician and philosopher, expressing his appreciation for Russell’s article on religion.
Tagore explained he found parallels between Russell’s writing in the Hibbert Journal and a verse from the Upanishad, ancient Hindu scriptures. He quoted the verse, which describes a state beyond comprehension where one finds freedom from fear through realizing the Infinite. Tagore also mentioned he would ask Dr.
Brajendranath Seal, a scholar and reformer close to Tagore, to visit Russell at Cambridge University. The letter shows an exchange of philosophical ideas between the two thinkers. One year after writing the letter, Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, becoming the first non-European and Asian laureate. He won for his book of poems, Gitanjali (Song Offerings), which he translated into English himself.
Russell later won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 for his contributions to humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.
