Rabindranath Tagore was a world-renowned poet, artist, thinker, philosopher, and social reformer who was concerned with the development of national consciousness while emphasizing the need for that consciousness to be grounded in Indian cultural sensibilities.
After his initial involvement in the Swadeshi movement centring around the partition of Bengal in 1905, he gradually moved away from mainstream nationalist politics at around 1907.
The key principles underlying Tagore’s vision of nationalism during the Indian freedom struggle were:

• Cosmopolitan approach: Tagore was against the parochial and chauvinistic concept of nationalism that focused on accumulation of power for one group of people only within a geographical boundary.
• He believed in a more inclusive and universal concept of nationalism comprising the whole world of men and not merely the fractional groups of nationality.
• Centrality of humanism: Tagore was opposed to the idea that a country is greater than the ideals of humanity whereas the Indian national movement was inspired by the Euro-centric concepts of nationalism that sought to achieve political and economic power for the people of its nation. Thus, he propounded the universal form of humanism wherein each person should strive for his/her human existence beyond his/her limitations and differences.
• Emphasized on Indian values: In Tagore’s view, the prevalent ideas of nationalism that embodied the Western ideas of capitalism and mechanisation were against the Indian values of self-autonomy, pluralism, and religious tolerance, which were critical values for a country with India’s history and diversity.
• Advocated for politics with ethics: Tagore was staunchly against hard-edged, masculine nationalism and blind love for the country at the cost of the virtues of truth, justice, and humanity.
• Against militant form of nationalism: He warned against the exclusionary and militant form of nationalism, including armed struggle to achieve the objective of freedom struggle. Such a notion of nationalism was not justifiable even for India’s freedom movement against British rule, as it could tarnish India’s image as a peace-loving country. Rather, he emphasized on the importance of embracing diversity, co-existing in a peaceful manner and valuing cultural and artistic traditions.

Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of nationalism was a significant departure from the mainstream Indian nationalist movement of his time. However, due to his immense contribution towards awakening of Indian national psyche and his works towards social justice, he was given the title of ‘Gurudev’ by Mahatma Gandhi and eminent historian Ramchandra Guha lists him as one of the ‘four founders’ of modern India, along with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.