The Breach

The first in-depth study of the deep bond between Mahatma Gandhi and Gurudev Tagore by one of our greatest historians. Tagore and Gandhi were both born in the 1860s and, through their very different spheres of activity, became figures of global renown and shapers of modern India. They also shared a deep personal friendship which was robust enough to bear the strain of differences on many public issues through the 1920s and '30s. Gandhi always addressed Tagore as Gurudev which, for Gandhi, was not an empty epithet. Gandhi sought Tagore's blessings at every critical juncture of his Indian public career. Tagore openly acknowledged Gandhi as the greatest Indian of his time. In Tagore and Gandhi: Walking Alone, Walking Together, Rudrangshu Mukherjee explores their relationship through their differences expressed in their writings and letters to each other and also tries to understand the beliefs that acted as the bond between the two of them. They differed with each other without a hint of acrimony, and they looked towards building an India that was inclusive and free from hatred and bigotry.