The democratic quest for a dignified social coexistence through negotiated fraternal solidarity needs an aspirational frame to ground thought and practice, reflection and action, principle and policy. Look no further than this fascinating state of relatedness “anthem” drawn from the Nobel prize winning Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore… (Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 35, 2003)

---

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
Into that haven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

---

A society without fear where the dignity of every human being irrespective of social identities is non-negotiable; a society where critical learning is the foundation of every child’s nurturing as a citizen through quality education to foster togetherness is fundamental to the development of a state of relatedness of the nation’s fraternal solidarity. Vigilance against othering and polarization and the pursuit of the celebration of diversity through social harmony characterizes the nurturing of a state of relatedness oriented to fraternal solidarity. The quest for a negotiated greatness and excellence can only be achieved on a foundation of integrity and truthfulness through the use of the “clear stream of reason” and “ever widening though and action”.

Rabindranath Tagore’s depiction of his “haven of freedom” is a poetic articulation of aspirational sublimation of the state of relatedness of fraternal solidarity as etched in the Preamble to the Constitution of India.