killed and many more were injured Tagore believed such cruel actions were unacceptable from a government that called itself civilized Hence Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest Feeling Helpless Under British Rule Tagore revealed in his letter that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre proved the helplessness of Indians as British subjects The Indians are oppressed powerless and helpless under the British colonial rule He wrote that the brutal killing proved the helplessness of our position as British subjects in India This unfairness deeply troubled Tagore and he renounced his knighthood title Unjust Punishments In his letter to Lord Chelmsford Tagore points out that the punishments given to the people were too severe Tagore believes that such cruel actions have no political expediency far less moral justification This means that the actions taken by British rule were neither useful nor morally right Solidarity with His Countrymen By renouncing his knighthood Tagore stands beside his countrymen to protest against the brutality of the British colonial rule In the letter Tagore criticizes the British rulers for ignoring the suffering of the Indian people He is upset that the British government does not care about how the Indians feel and continues to be callous or unfeeling Protest Against Injustice Tagore feels that keeping the knighthood would be wrong when such injustices are happening He writes The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring This means that holding onto honors from the British makes the shame of the situation even worse By returning the title Tagore is protesting against the wrongs done to his country Patriotism and Moral Duty Tagore's actions show his deep patriotism He believes it is his duty to speak out against injustice He writes in his letter to Lord Chelmsford The very least that I can do for my country is to take all consequences upon myself in giving voice to the protest of the millions of my countrymen He is willing to face any consequences to stand up for his people In conclusion Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood because he could not accept the British government's cruel treatment of the Indian people especially the massacre in Punjab His letter clearly explains his reasons His letter clearly shows his deep love for his country