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Now, let’s read this famous patriotic poem. 2. The phrase ‘broken up into fragments’ suggests a world that is
.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is
held high united and harmonious fragmented and divided
peaceful and serene controlled and organised
Where knowledge is free
3. The line ‘words come out from the depth of truth’ implies that communication is based
Where the world has not been broken up into on .
fragments
deception and falsehood superficiality and pretense
By narrow domestic walls
honesty and authenticity complexity and ambiguity
Where words come out from the depth of truth
B. Answer these questions.
Where tireless striving stretches its arms 1. Explain the line: Where knowledge is free.
towards perfection
2. How can the world be broken up by ‘narrow domestic walls’?
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost
its way 3. Explain: clear stream of reason.
4. What does the poet want for his country and countrymen?
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Reference to the context
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Read these lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.
Into ever-widening thought and action
1. Where words come out from the depth of truth

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

—Rabindranath Tagore a. What does the poet mean by ‘depth of truth’?

i. The words spoken by individuals originate from a place of sincerity, honesty, and
About the Poet genuine understanding.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali ii. The words spoken by individuals do not have any relation with sincerity, honesty,
poet, musician and artist. He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian
art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of many verses, short stories and and genuine understanding.
novels such as Gitanjali, he became in 1913 the first non-European to win the Nobel
Prize in Literature. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: iii. The poet wants that individuals should not speak words with sincerity, honesty, and
India’s Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh’s Amar Shonar Bangla. genuine understanding.

iv. According to the poet, the words spoken with sincerity, honesty and genuine under-
standing are the only three pillars of life.
Time to answer b. Who strives tirelessly and for what?

A. Choose the correct option. i. Individuals who are ambitious in their pursuit of excellence and self-improvement

1. ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’ refers to a state of mind strive continuously to achieve financial stability.
characterised by . ii. Individuals who are dedicated and persistent in their pursuit of excellence and

arrogance and overconfidence fearlessness and self-assuredness self-improvement strive continuously to achieve perfection in various aspects of life.
iii. Individuals who are lazy and stubborn in their pursuit of excellence and
stubbornness and defiance conceit and superiority
self-improvement strive continuously to achieve comfort in life.

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