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The official social media platforms of the Nobel Prize have published a rare, 114-year-old handwritten letter written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore to British philosopher Bertrand Russell, highlighting a historic exchange of ideas between Eastern and Western philosophy.
The letter, dated October 13, 1912, is preserved in the Bertrand Russell Archives at McMaster University Library in Canada, according to news reports.
In the letter, Tagore told Russell that he had recently read his essay The Essence of Religion, published in the Hibbert Journal.
The essay reminded Tagore of a verse from the Upanishads, ancient Sanskrit texts central to Hindu philosophical traditions.
Tagore quoted the Sanskrit verse in Roman script and provided an English translation along with his own philosophical interpretation.
He explained how transcending the limitations of the finite self and realising the joy of the infinite could help people overcome worldly fears.
The two intellectuals had met in person earlier in 1912 when Tagore visited England, establishing a connection that reflected an exchange between Indian spiritual thought and Western philosophical ideas.
The Nobel Prize highlighted the historic correspondence on its official social media platforms, drawing renewed attention to the intellectual relationship between the two figures.
Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his poetry, becoming the first non-European to receive the award.
Russell was awarded the same prize in 1950 in recognition of his varied and significant literary contributions.
The century-old letter offers a glimpse into their shared intellectual interests and the enduring relevance of philosophical discussions on religion, human existence and freedom from fear.