THE HOME AND THE WORLD

The novel is set against the backdrop of the Partition of Bengal in 1905. It was Lord Curzon's most unpopular measure, and sparked off a public outcry and protests by the people of Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore's Home and the World played a pivotal role in providing leadership to the movement against the Partition. The movement developed into a call for swaraj or self-rule centering on the use of swadeshi or Indian made goods. Tagore however was to distance himself from the Swadeshi movement after the outbreak of communal riots in Bengal in 1907.