WHEN IS A MAN CONSIDERED WITHOUT FEAR?

WHEN IS A MAN CONSIDERED WITHOUT FEAR?

When a man can freely and fearlessly call a spade a spade,
When he doesn't, under the temptation of petty personal profits, lower his head,
When he never chants, in a mad chorus, for material mileage, the living Nature is dead,
When he proclaims publicly the rare shots of  an envious enemy as 'praiseworthily played',
When he has the guts to confess his own errors, blunders and weaknesses,
When he has the strength to accept the false accusations for others' inexcusable mistakes,
When, intead of the luxury of Five Star hotels, he prefers the fresh air of a glade,
When, by money, might, chair, power, flesh, fame or flattery he can never be misled,
When he can never compromise  with the interests of the country, the poor and the needy,
When, in the face of disaster or destruction, he can be bold like a buttress and Sun-like steady,
When he is ever guided by Reason and Conscience quitting superstition, discrimination and prejudice,
When he can live and die only for universal Fraternity, Peace, Truth and Justice!

N.B. This poem is inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Where The Mind Is Without Fear."
Copyright: Shankar D Mishra 04.04.20