A lecture by French historian Bernard Dufresne reveals the largely unknown relationship between writer Romain Rolland and Jawaharlal Nehru. By Sharang Bhaskaran
Romain Rolland once said, “If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.” Romain Rolland, the French dramatist, novelist, essayist and idealist had a close relationship with India and prominent Indians during the early 20th century. He was known to have been greatly influenced by Indian culture, spirituality and the concept of Hinduism. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1915 “as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings”.
His relationships with Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi are well-known to many Indians and Europeans. However, less documented are his ties with Jawaharlal Nehru, which are no less interesting. In a lecture titled Jawaharlal Nehru and Romain Rolland: French-Indian Correspondence, literary historian Bernard Dufresne shared some interesting facts and incidents relating to the two men which are not known to Indians. The lecture was organised in collaboration with the Romain Rolland Association (France) to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the French writer.
‘The Other Thought: French-Indian Encounters on Creativity and Innovation’, is a new series of events conceived by the Institut Français en Inde.
Dufresne is an avid reader of Romain Rolland and over the years has collected and studied most of his works. He has also searched for documents on him in Indian libraries and archives, which were not known in France. During the lecture, Dufresne begin by talking about Rolland’s relationship with Tagore and Gandhi post the first World War.
Romain Rolland was deeply disappointed and upset at the state Europe was in during World War I, and wrote several commentaries and essays against the war. “Rolland once wrote in an essay that he was heartbroken to see all the European countries fighting like enemies. He also said that once the war, it was these countries that would have to work together to bring back peace to Europe and rebuild it. He believed that Europe must stand among the world as a continent of peace, and war,” said Dufresne.
Rolland met Tagore in 1921 in Geneva where he congratulated the Indian writer on his essay on nationalism. “Rolland was instantly drawn to Tagore and listening to him talk about India and Indian culture, he was extremely fascinated by the country and was keen to visit India.”
Romain Rolland also came to learn of Gandhi and the work he was doing in India as a freedom fighter. Gandhi’s views and practice of non-violence resonated with Rolland who was a life-long pacifist. He was a great admirer of Gandhi and in 1924, he wrote a book on Gandhi. This book was important in strengthening Gandhi’s reputation outside India, especially Europe. However the two men did not meet until 1931.
“Rolland first met Jawaharlal Nehru in Switzerland in 1926, when Nehru was accompanying his wife Kamla who was being treated for tuberculosis. There they started discussing the situation in India and talked about Gandhi. Nehru then told Rolland that although the common people of India supported Gandhi greatly, he was losing his authority over the elite class,” Dufresne revealed. “They both shared an admiration for the idea of socialism and that’s how they went on to share with each other their thoughts on world politics,” he added.
What followed later was a long and fruitful friendship between the two men who inspired each other and discussed matters of politics, the Indian freedom struggle and the world at large through their letters. The French writer was close aid to Gandhi and Nehru and wrote extensively against British imperialism and colonisation and was a vocal supporter of India in it’s struggle for freedom.
When Rolland visited India, he was soon drawn to Indian spirituality and Hindusim and began to read a lot about the old Hindu scriptures and studied them extensively. The concept of Hinduism and it’s theology was something that he related to. Romain Rolland is credited with being one of the first persons to introduce Hinduism to the Europeans and the world. His time and experiences in India influenced his later works. Throughout his life Romain Rolland retained a keen interest in Indian spirituality the influence is seen significantly in some of his plays and fictional works.