`Mashi` is a novel written by Rabindranath Tagore which deals with one phase or another of the transition through which India is passing, and that transition is inspiring anxiety in the minds of men like Tagore. He is vitally interested in the preservation of Indian culture from the ravages of the vandal forces of indiscriminate Westernization.
Anyone who is an ardent fan of Rabindranath Tagore will be familiar with his deep insights into the human mind. Rabindranath Tagore always concentrates on different aspects of relationship. Sometimes he takes the political aspect while sometimes he is more into human relationship. Love has got different name in his different writings. Sometimes love is between brother-sister, lover-lovee, while sometimes it goes far beyond and reach the height.
Tagore was a man of principle. He never joined politics in an active manner. Though he was a very good friend of Mahatma Gandhi as well as Jawaharlal Nehtu. As well as literature Tagore had a great love of music, in particular Bengali music. He composed more than two thousand songs, both the music and lyrics. Two of them became the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Tagore was not just a poet but also productive in the fields of art, music and education. Tagore played a large role in the artistic and cultural renaissance of India, which occurred in the 20th Century. Tagore was in very much love with his dream project Santiniketan. Tagore tried to fuse the best of Western and Eastern values. Fusing the spirituality of the East with the scientific progress of the West. He was very modern in his writing. He has written many contemporary write-ups that are still popular in the reader`s mind.
Synopsis:
`Mashi` is a creation of Rabindranath Tagore and the author wrote it in the year of 1918. This book of the author has come up with some new ideas and thoughts, which are suitable at the age of teens. At that time the human mind can take these type of literature very well. This book can change the perception of some persons about some specific subjects. It can make someone more aware of the incessant commentary that perpetually goes on in people`s minds. The characters are memorable. It can be felt they are laughing, talking and smiling. You can almost hear them speak. They speak differences and the conflict between them is what the story revolves around. The author expertly weaves together the conflicting emotions of three very different people. The tension in one person is contrasting with the calm persona of the other. Whereas the other character struggles to balance her joys and sorrows. In all, it is an intense study of the human mind in various stressful circumstances. It shows how different people interpret the same emotions in different ways and has their own ways of dealing with their adversities based on their previous experiences. It is experimented that if there are twelve persons in a room and someone tells something. The twelve persons can interpret it in twelve different ways.