Resilience, Empathy, and Well-Being in Tagore’s Kabuliwala: A Positive Psychology Perspective

Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel laureate renowned for his profound contributions to literature, penned the short story Kabuliwala, a narrative that has resonated with readers across generations and cultures. This article examines Kabuliwala through the lens of positive psychology. Using the PERMA model developed by Seligman, the article analyzes the story from the perspective of positive psychology. All elements of the PERMA model—Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—are present in the story, with Relationships emerging as the predominant theme. In addition, this article explores Kabuliwala in terms of human resilience and empathy. The story offers a rich portrayal of these qualities through its central characters, Rahamat and Mini's father. Kabuliwala exemplifies how classical literary works can serve not only as sites of aesthetic beauty but also as reservoirs of psychological insight, inviting scholars to further integrate positive psychology with literary studies to reexamine narratives of human well-being.