EKITI SUMMIT NEWS
OUR INSPIRER: RABINDRANATH TAGORE (1861-1941)
Rabindranath Tagore was one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. In 1913, he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, largely because of his spiritual and poetic masterpiece, Gitanjali.
Gitanjali (“Song Offerings”) is celebrated for its deep spirituality, humanism, simplicity, and reflection on the relationship between humanity and the divine. Its themes of enlightenment, hope, moral renewal, and cultural pride have inspired thinkers, writers, educators, and organizations around the world.
It is meaningful that Gitanjali served as an inspiration to the “Ekiti Summit News Media Group,” especially given the work of media institutions in promoting intellectual growth, cultural identity, ethical leadership, and social development.
Tagore himself believed that literature and journalism should elevate society and encourage unity, wisdom, and progress.
One of Tagore’s most famous lines from Gitanjali captures this spirit:
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 the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit; …
Into that heaven of freedom,
my Father, let my country awake.
That poem continues to inspire movements focused on education, freedom of thought, and national development across many cultures, including in Africa and Nigeria.