India in the Making of Romain Rolland

Humanism, Spiritual Universalism, and the Reconfiguration of East-West Dialogue

Abstract

Romain Rolland’s thought continues to resonate as one of the loudest voices of peace and humanism in the twentieth century. Through his vast literary and intellectual œuvre, the Nobel laureate relentlessly championed anti-war and anti-colonial ideals while cultivating a profound engagement with India, its intellect, and its philosophy. This article examines Romain Rolland’s multifaceted relationship with India, which he encountered primarily through his own extensive reading, correspondence, and dialogue with a range of interlocutors. His engagement with India can be situated within a framework of humanism, his belief in moral heroism, and his orientalist leanings. What set Rolland apart from other writers was the pull of spirituality and mysticism that drew him toward India. This gave Rolland room to bridge reason and intuition, East and West, and opened a path to self-discovery — the “inner journey” that India made possible for him. The methodological lens of alterity that Rolland adopts opens him to perspectives beyond his European frame of reference. Thus India, far from being merely an object of fascination, becomes an active participant in his quest for universal ethics, his critique of European modernity, and his
commitment to dialogue. In this sense, Romain Rolland emerges as a true forerunner of intercultural studies.