"Rabindranath Tagore has been a strong cultural force especially in West Bengal and Bangladesh, where the population speaks his language, Bengali. He channelized the energies of the entire subcontinent towards our modern age. Europe and American identify Tagore and Gandhi with modern India more than any other persons.
Tagore enjoyed a special relationship with Germany. The enthusiasm with which the German people welcomed the poet in 1921 was tumultuous and unprecedented. Tagore believed that India and Germany can play a joint special role in our times as both of them were idealistic peoples. The book focuses on four Germans who were probably the most important figures for Tagore during his visit to Germany: The well-known philosopher Hermann Keyserling became a friend. of Kurt Wolff who was Tagore's German publishers. Helen Meyer-Franck, a teacher by profession, became Tagore's most devoted interpreter and translator of several books. Through these relationship, some of the basic attitudes expressed by Germans towards the cultural icon that was Tagore will become clearer
."Hermann Alexander Graf Keyserling (July 20, 1880–April 26, 1946) was a wealthy philosopher from the aristocratic Baltic German Keyserlingk family.
The next tour to be taken by Rabindramnath was Germany. H thought to come over here since 1913 when he came to England before winning the Nobel prize.At this time Count Hermann Keyserling [1880-1946] gave him some introductory letters to some important persons of German.
In 1920 he had a mind to go to German from France but he could not get visa due to post war situation. Rabindranath had deep regards for the intellectuals of Germany because of their vast research work on Indian language and culture. On 2nd February 1921 he wrote to Helene Meyer-Frank, German translator of Rabindranath's work, from Chicago; " If things are not desperately unfavourable I shall meet you in Germany, the country which has my deepest sympathy in her days of trial. All the same I am convinced that the victors are not more fortunate than vanquished."
The people of Germany was also expecting bindranath eagerly. Before he received Nobel prize Gitanjali was translated in Germany by Marie Gothein was one to whom Keyserling wrote a letter of
introduction.
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Rabindranath with Kurt Wolf in Germany in 1921)
Rabindranath with Kurt Wolf in Germany in 1921)(Rabindranath with Intellectuals in Germany-1926)
(Rabindranath in Germany in 1930)
