Discuss Rabindranath Tagore’s notions of ‘jana-gana-mana’ universalism and the critique of narrow nationalism. How are these relevant to a civil servant designing inclusive urban citizenship for migrant workers?

Definition: Tagore's universalism, articulated in his 1917 Nationalism lectures and the 1941 Crisis in Civilization, places shared humanity above the mechanised, ethnocentric nation-state; Visva-Bharati's motto 'yatra visvam bhavatyekanidam' — where the world makes its nest — captures the ideal.

Illustration: A migrant construction worker from Balrampur in Surat is, on Tagore's view, not a tolerated outsider but a fellow inhabitant of the same nest; denying him a ration is a moral failure, not merely an administrative gap. Tagore's Swadeshi-Samaj (1904) urged self-organising communities, foreshadowing migrant collectives and welfare boards. Sadhana (1913) makes dignity, not charity, the test.

Application: ONORC (2019) operationalises portable PDS for inter-state migrants; e-Shram (2021) registers the unorganised; NITI Aayog's Project Pravas (2023) extends portability of welfare entitlements across state borders. A Tagorean officer designing migrant-worker rights treats inclusive urban citizenship not as discretionary administrative kindness but as ethical obligation grounded in shared belonging.