Gleanings of the Road

Travels formed an integral part of the persona and creative artist that was Rabindranath Tagore. During his trips to England and the United States (1912-13 and 1920), Tagore wrote essays for publication in various Bengali journals. In 1939, Tagore selected fourteen of these essays and an appendix containing seven letters he had written to some of the teachers in the Shantiniketan ashram during his trips, for publication as a volume. Tagore rewrote the original essays, using colloquial language instead of the formal style; he also revised the texts substantially. Later editions altered the number of essays, sometimes digressing from Tagore’s selection, sometimes going back to Tagore’s original formal language. The travelogue offers insight into Tagore’s perception of the various facets of Western life and the diverse philosophical issues that cross his mind as he journeys from one continent to another. Translated from Bengali for the first time, Pather Sanchoy would be of interest to all those who enjoy exploring unknown territories geographically and psychologically.