Friday, January 31, 2014

Meeting of Two Beautiful Minds: Tagore and Einstein

On July 14, 1930, Albert Einstein welcomed into his home on the outskirts of Berlin the Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. The two proceeded to have one of the most stimulating, intellectually riveting conversations in history, exploring the age-old friction between science and religion

In her blog 'Brainpickings', Maria Popova recounts the historic encounter, amidst a broader discussion of the intellectual renaissance that swept India in the early twentieth century, germinating a curious osmosis of Indian traditions and secular Western scientific doctrine. Einstein and Tagore’s conversations dances between previously examined definitions of science, beauty, consciousness, andphilosophy in a masterful meditation on the most fundamental questions of human existence.  Read an exerpt of the blog here from the book "Science and the Indian Tradition: When Einstein Met Tagore" by David Gosling

A Rare 1961 Documentary on Tagore by Satyajit Ray                        

Another 3 part Documentary on Calcutta by Christopher Skyes is worth watching for die-hard Calcuttans.