WHILE going through Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s book, The Argumentative Indian, I found out that Gandhi and Tagore differed about the sanctity of a promise.

Sen writes that once when Gandhi was on a visit to Shantiniketun, Tagore’s school, a woman asked Gandhi to give his autograph whereupon Gandhi wrote in her autograph book, “Never make a promise in haste. Having once made it, fulfil it at the cost of your life.”

On seeing this entry, Tagore became agitated and wrote in the same autograph book a Bengali poem to the effect that no one can be made a prisoner forever with a chain of clay and added in English (so that Gandhi could also read) “Fling away your promise if it is found to be wrong.” (Page 99).

Tagore’s views on the sanctity of a promise are very relevant in our present political scenario.

Salahuddin Mirza
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014