{"id":34059,"date":"2026-07-20T15:07:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=34059"},"modified":"2026-07-20T15:07:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:07:49","slug":"quote-of-the-day-by-rabindranath-tagore-the-traveller-has-to-knock-at-every-alien-door-to-come-to-his-own-and-one-has-to-wander-through-all-the-outer-worlds-to-reach-the-innermost-shrine-at-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=34059","title":{"rendered":"Quote of the day by Rabindranath Tagore: &#8220;The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132514691,imgsize-69329,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/the-traveller-has-to-knock-at-every-alien-door-to-come-to-his-own-and.jpg\" alt=\"Quote of the day by Rabindranath Tagore: &quot;The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.&quot;\" title=\"Tagore\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>There\u2019s no doubt that every journey changes us in ways we rarely understand. We often think that by exploring a place we are just ticking destinations off a bucket list, or escape our regular routine life.<!-- --> But Nobel laureate <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/rabindranath-tagore\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Rabindranath Tagore<\/a> imagined travel as something much bigger, deeper and with purpose. To him, the road was not merely a path across mountains, deserts, or oceans\u2014it was something people journeyed inward.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>&#8220;The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"7\"\/>\u2014 Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali (Poem 12)<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>These are his profound words from Gitanjali and it remains one of the most insightful reflections ever written on the true purpose of travel. <!-- -->It appears in Poem 12 of Gitanjali, which is a collection that earned Tagore the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Deeper meaning of travel<\/span> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>At first, the quote looks to celebrate exploration. But a closer reading shows that Tagore was speaking about inner, self journey or transformation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>&#8220;Knock at every alien door&#8221; here refers not just to crossing borders or exploring unknown paths but it represents checking into unfamiliar cultures, languages, beliefs, and experiences.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Every &#8220;alien door&#8221; is a metaphor for the \u2018unknown\u2019. It could be an unfamiliar situation, an unknown Himalayan hamlet or just a small tea house in Kyoto or even a conversation with someone whose life is entirely different from yours.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>When travellers embrace these moments instead of avoiding them, they begin to become an explorer in all the true sense. <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">The outer journey leads inward<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/> <\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and...\u201d\" msid=\"132514746\" width=\"\" title=\"Tagore\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-132514746\/the-traveller-has-to-knock-at-every-alien-door-to-come-to-his-own-and.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tagore<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>Modern travel often focuses on destinations, Instagram-worthy beaches, the highest peak, colourful mountains, among others. <!-- -->But Tagore here shifts the focus from where we go to what happens within us while we travel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>He suggests that wandering through &#8220;all the outer worlds&#8221; eventually leads us to the &#8220;innermost shrine.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">What\u2019s shrine<\/span> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>The shrine here is not a physical temple. It is self-discovery.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Anyone who has travelled extensively truly understands this feeling. A solo trek teaches resilience and faith in oneself. Getting lost in an unknown city makes us confident. <!-- -->Watching sunrises from an old mountain town reminds us how small our worries really are. <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Travel slowly strips away assumptions, comforts, and prejudices and allows us to discover who we truly are.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Why the quote feels even more relevant today<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>The quote is still relevant for many reasons. In today&#8217;s fast-paced world, travel has become easier than ever. And thanks to social media, we know exactly where to go for the perfect photograph and a delicious meal. Yet many travellers return home with thousands of pictures but very few meaningful experiences.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"57\"\/>Tagore&#8217;s words serve as a reminder that authentic travel cannot be measured by passport stamps or social media posts.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">A philosophy every traveller can follow<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/> <\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tagore\" msid=\"132514740\" width=\"\" title=\"Tagore\/Wikipedia\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-132514740\/tagore.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tagore\/Wikipedia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"65\"\/>To &#8220;knock&#8221; on an unfamiliar door is to seek permission. It suggests approaching new cultures with respect rather than entitlement. Instead of expecting every place to adapt to us, we become willing learners.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>In many ways, Tagore anticipated what modern travellers now call immersive or meaningful travel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"71\"\/>In short, we may leave home searching for landscapes, but often return carrying wisdom.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>As travellers continue to cross borders in search of new experiences, Rabindranath Tagore&#8217;s timeless reminder remains as relevant as ever: sometimes, the farthest journey we undertake is the one that finally brings us home.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"75\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/life-style\/travel\/destinations\/quote-of-the-day-by-rabindranath-tagore-the-traveller-has-to-knock-at-every-alien-door-to-come-to-his-own-and-one-has-to-wander-through-all-the-outer-worlds-to-reach-the-innermost-shrine-at-the-end-\/articleshow\/132514751.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s no doubt that every journey changes us in ways we rarely understand. We often think that by exploring a place we are just ticking destinations off a bucket list, or escape our regular routine life. But Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore imagined travel as something much bigger, deeper and with purpose. To him, the road&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-style"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}