‘I was free to move about as I chose’: When Rabindranath Tagore visited the Himalayas as a boy

Just as he allowed me to wander the mountains at will, so [Father] left me free to select my path in the quest for truth.

1873 was an important year for Rabindranath Tagore. It brought him into close contact with his father for the first time. It also took him out of the house at Jorasanko for a few months on his first major expedition.

But before that, he had to pass through a ceremony, upanayan – the investiture of the Brahmin’s sacred thread – which marked the transition of a Brahmin boy to adulthood. The Maharshi believed in this custom, however unorthodox his spiritual beliefs. So did Rabindranath, however self-mocking he was in describing the rituals. These began with Rabindranath and two other boys of the family learning from the Maharshi how to chant the Upanishads. Next, after some days of chanting, with shaven heads and gold rings in their ears, the three “budding Brahmins” went into three days’ retreat in a portion of the top storey of the house. Here, instead of meditating, they had fun. The earrings were a good handle for pulling each other’s ears. A small drum that chanced to be in one of the rooms was...

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