VISAKHAPATNAM: As Andhra University stands on the threshold of celebrating 100 years of its journey, it is worth revisiting a luminous moment from its past. Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize in any category as early as 1913, delivered a three-day lecture series at Andhra University in December 1933. He was invited by the then vice-chancellor, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became the President of India. In a letter written in September 1932, Tagore thanked Radhakrishnan for the invitation but expressed concern about his health owing to his advancing age (he was 71 at the time) and his demanding schedule. However, Radhakrishnan said that the request was not merely for a message to students, but for one that would endure for future generations. In a sense, that vision continues to hold true, with these lectures still extensively revisited and quoted even today. Tagore eventually accepted the invitation and delivered his lectures at Andhra University. The celebrated lecture series, titled ‘Man’, comprised three lectures that explored the idea of the “Eternal Man” and humanity’s journey towards self-realisation and union with the Universal Spirit. These lectures, which are available with TOI, focused on profound philosophical and spiritual themes. These anecdotes related to Tagore’s visit and his correspondence with Radhakrishnan were mentioned by Dr Ryo Takahashi, a professor from Japan, who examined Rabindranath Tagore’s Man lecture series delivered at Andhra University. He argues that these lectures establish a foundational framework for the philosophy of gerontology while also illuminating the origins of human education.
“Researching Tagore’s lectures at Andhra University revealed that he visited Visakhapatnam twice, in 1933 and 1934. The first visit was in December 1933 at Andhra University, and the second was with the Jeypore Maharaja to seek support for the university founded by Tagore. During Tagore’s visit to Andhra University, a student was entrusted with overseeing his accommodation. On the final day, the student remained at the door of Tagore’s room. When Tagore asked him, the student replied, ‘Master, I am not going home; I am fulfilling my duty here.’ Moved by this devotion, Tagore reportedly said, ‘I have never seen such a faithful student. I will listen to your wish. What do you want?’ The student replied, ‘I would be grateful if you could take a photograph with the vice-chancellor.’” Takahashi wrote in his research paper, Man by Rabindranath Tagore: Journey for Philosophy of Gerontology, published in the journal Literary Druid.
What gives this moment from the golden era of Andhra University its lasting depth is not only the presence of two towering figures (Tagore and Radhakrishnan) of modern Indian thought, but also the philosophical continuum that connects it to earlier interpretations. Years before inviting Tagore to the campus, Radhakrishnan had already engaged deeply with his thought through ‘The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore’ (1919), a seminal work that sought to interpret the deeper vision behind Tagore’s writings. As Radhakrishnan himself wrote: “The popularity of the writings of Sir Rabindranath Tagore shows that there is neither East nor West in the realm of spirit, and that his work meets a general want and satisfies a universal demand.” He further observed: “In interpreting the philosophy and message of Sir Rabindranath Tagore, we are interpreting the Indian ideal of philosophy, religion, and art, of which his work is the outcome and expression,” adding poignantly, “We do not know whether it is Rabindranath’s own heart or the heart of India that is beating here.”
