A century ago — on the April 10, 1919, to be precise — the French writer Romain Rolland posted a letter to the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore. The bloodiest war in human history had just ended; and writers and intellectuals had played their part in fomenting and furthering it. This exchange on the ethical responsibility of writers began a correspondence that lasted for many years. In the same month, Tagore wrote to Rolland himself: “There has been a great political upheaval as you know, in our country. One can absolutely appreciate writers being attached to the language, culture, and traditions of the country in which they reside.

Source: Hindustan Times June 29, 2019 14:37 UTC