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I had not read Tagore earlier except for a few short stories. Tagore’s works have remained relatively unknown outside Bengal, including his writings in English and on subjects far removed from Bengali milieu. I had though read Saratchandra Chatterjee, a contemporary of Tagore, way back in 1960s and 70s during my school-college days, thanks to Marathi translations (by Mama Warerkar) of his novels, which, I remember, were then easily available in libraries. I can still recall reading “Parinita”, “Shrikant”, “ Charitraheen” and being deeply affected by the characterizations and empathy for the poor and the women in his works. I consider him as one of the great novelists and storytellers of the twentieth century and his appeal endures even in these modern times. But Tagore dominates Bengali cultural landscape so overwhelmingly that he overshadows others including Sharatchandra. This had disheartened me a little and possibly that was one unconscious reason for my initial lack of enthusiasm ...

  “ Generations to come will scarce believe that a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”- Albert Einstein on Mahatma Gandhi Talking about Mahatma Gandhi is now unfashionable. For most Indians the Mahatma is apparently no more relevant today, being reduced to a distant figure of an old bespectacled man with a walking-stick, a pious and saint like person to be annually ritualistically remembered on his birth and death anniversary. There are some who revile the man and his ideas, some going to the extent of extolling his assassin as a patriot. But then one wonders why the current regime whose ideology is far removed, even diametrically opposite to the Mahatma’s philosophy of inclusivity, truth and non violence find it necessary to publicly embrace Mahatma Gandhi. Part of the answer lies in the towering stature of the Mahatma and respect it commands globally. This was brought to the fore recently when images of the world's top 20 heads of state together walkin...