Baku:The official social media platforms of the Nobel Prize have shared a rare, 114-year-old handwritten letter exchanged between literature laureates Rabindranath Tagore and Bertrand Russell, showcasing an intersection of Eastern philosophy and Western thought.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Nobel Prize highlighted the artifact with a caption inviting viewers to "take a look" at this historic correspondence. The letter is preserved in the Bertrand Russell Archives at McMaster University Library in Canada.
Written by Tagore on October 13, 1912, the correspondence reveals the Indian poet's response to Russell's article "The Essence of Religion," published in the Hibbert Journal. Tagore expressed how the article deeply resonated with him, reminding him of a sacred verse from the Upanishads, key texts in Hindu traditions.
The two intellectuals had met earlier in 1912 when Tagore visited England, sparking a cross-cultural philosophical friendship. In his letter, Tagore included a classical Sanskrit verse with an English translation, discussing the concept of ego-transcendence and the "Infinite self" overcoming the "finite self" to live without fear.
This exchange occurred at a pivotal moment in literary history. Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, while Russell received the same honor 37 years later in 1950. Cultural historians and literary archivists regard the Nobel Committee's feature of this letter as a reminder of a golden era of philosophical thought, blending ancient Vedic insights with modern Western rationale.