Why does Tagore associate
commercialism with barbarity of ugly decorations ?
Tagore associates commercialism with
its barbarity of ugly decorations. It is so because modern commercialism has
set up the ideal of power rather than of perfection. It is a cult of self
seeking naked shamelessness. It has the weapon of exploitation by which it
exterminates its rivals. This economic dragon sucks the life blood of the
persons who are unable to stand competition. It is a terrible menace to all
humanity. Indiscriminate production and beastly consumption are the two deities
of commercialism. Its only object is to produce and consume. It has pity
neither for the beauty in nature nor for living human beings. It is ruthlessly
ready to crush beauty and life without a moment’s hesitation. It is ever ready
to mould them into money. It was this vulgarity of commerce which created
contempt and detachment from wealth in our ancient history. Our ancestors soon
realized that excess of wealth makes a man brute, callous and indifferent
towards the poor. But in this scientific age, Mammon, the god of money has
usurped the throne and insults the higher instincts of man. He has banished
beauty and noble sentiments from his surroundings. It is this Mammon who is
ruling the mankind in the present age. We seem to have acquiesced to his mighty
power. Our imagination is groveling in the dust and we are licking in his
mighty feet. We forget that this dragon doesn’t understand the language of
truth and beauty. Beauty is like the signature which our creator has stamped
upon His works. Commerce lacks the dignity of grace and perfection. It has
reduced man to a machine. It has no value for tender sentiments and human
emotions. An individual is simply an economic man, blindly busy in pursuit of
wealth. This economic dragon thinks himself as an intellectual giant. The only
object of his life is to earn money by foul means. He (economic man) is the
easy victim of temptation. This temptation is actually the root cause of his
fall. Tagore does not welcome it in our Indian way of our life. The ultimate
solution of his menace should be that our life be simple in its outer aspect
and rich in its inner gain. Let not our civilization be based on economic
exploitation and conflict. On the other hand, our economic system should stand
on the solid rock and social cooperation and equitable distribution of wealth.
Like our ancestors, we should have faith in the human soul.
Tagore's literary reputation is
disproportionately influenced very much by regard for his poetry; however, he
also wrote novels, essays, short stories, travelogues, dramas, and thousands of
songs. Of Tagore's prose, his short stories are perhaps most highly regarded;
indeed, he is credited with originating the Bengali-language version of the
genre. His works are frequently noted for their rhythmic, optimistic, and
lyrical nature. However, such stories mostly borrow from deceptively simple
subject matter — the lives of ordinary people.
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