This collection of essays records a common reader's evolving perceptions of the literary achievement of Rabindranath Tagore. The author believes that changing responses to works of art inevitably lead to a modification and enlargement of meaning that makes it necessary for us to treat the text as a dynamic entity constantly open to scrutiny and re-evaluation.

This book addresses certain central concerns of Tagore's work and underlines aspects of the writer's sensibility and achievement that have not, so far, received sufficient attention. It aims to redress the balance in many cases and refashion stereotypical views of the writer. How do modern readers evaluate Tagore? Has his relevance diminished in the present context?

To some his work is astonishingly contemporary and he is regarded as one of the precursors of modern Indian literature; others dismiss him as a prisoner of tradition. Which of these estimates is nearer the truth? Addressing these, and many other vital questions, the book hopes to open up new areas of enquiry. It does not offer definitive explanations and is not a defence of Tagore. It aims to confront the issues his work raises and study them from different points of view.