Every year 7th May (25th Baisakh ) is celebrated as Tagore’s birthday by many of his admirers. Some of them, who know me as an ex student of Santiniketan (Tagore’s University), kindly send some nice videos of Tagore to me. That really inspired me to write a few unique things about Santiniketan school, which was established by Tagore in 1901.
He was the first non European to get the Noble Prize for literature. Much of that money he spent for the development of his dream school in Santiniketan.
Much of his early life was spent at upper class British schools where he often looked out through the open window and loved to see the blue sky, flying birds,passers by and green trees. Perhaps that brought a feeling of freedom in his mind. He decided to make a school where children will learn while being free in nature .He wanted to bring a new trend of education, where children will be taught to be self reliant and helpful to others. Also being ready to develop a harmonious attitude towards the whole world, children should know about the past glory of ancient Vedic civilisation also.
In Santiniketan, except science classes, all other classes were taught under the shade of green trees. Children loved to acquire different knowledge while being in nature. Season changes, birds songs and fresh air enhanced their imagination and made them feel one with nature, and one with all. They were encouraged to participate in many other activities ( like, games, music, gardening,nature’s study, even occasional visits to nearby tribal villages with teachers. That education stands apart from today’s schooling system.Today children are more advanced with technology, more self centred, and love to stay secured and comfortable in the middle of four concrete walls.Tagore emphasised universal brotherhood, also fought against cast system (which was very strong in India that time ) through his literature and also through his schooling system. He realised, revolutionary change can come only through right education, which he described beautifully in these few lines of his poem from Gitanjali.
“Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high, where the world has not been broken up into fragments, by narrow domestic walls. ….where words come out from the depth of truth. …Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake“
At the entrance gate of the town he founded was written in Sanskrit, "yatra viswa bhavatyaka niram" which means “here the whole world comes together as returning to a nest.” Being attracted to Tagore's personality, many great people of the world came there and joined hands with Tagore to bring universal brotherhood in Santiniketan .
