Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941)

Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941)

Rabindranath Tagore, Asia’s first Nobel laureate, was born on 6^th May 1861 in Bengal in an educated, rich and respected family. He was the fourteenth and the youngest son of Maharishi Devendranath. He received his early education at home from a private tutor. Tagore, popularly known as Gurudev, was a Indian poet, play wright, philosopher, patriot, novelist, actor, composer, educator and painter. Tagore burst into international fame when his book Gitanjali won the Nobel Prize for the literature in 1913. He utilized the entire amount of award, for his famous school Santhiniketan, which he had founded at Bolepur in 1901. The school was opened on the model of the ancient ashrams. In 1921, this school grew into a world university, called Viswa Bharati. Tagore’s experiences of his early education at various schools were not happy ones. The suffering and misery of a child under a heartless education system has been forcefully brought out his educational writings namely, Shiksha and Herpher, the Parrot’s Training and Shiksa Samasya. Tagore, the great apostle op peace and universal brotherhood passed away on August 7, 1941.

Philosophy of life

On Tagore’s philosophy of life there is a powerful impression and influence of religious, highly cultured and philosophy loving family to which he belonged. He imbibed the idealistic philosophy of life and adopted the highest idea of truth. Beauty and goodness as a chief aims of education to be achieved by all human beings. As an idealist, Tagore believed in the absolute and immortal existence of God, but he believed in God as a Superman and accepted this world as his best creation. In fact, Tagore was a follower of ‘Monism’. As such, he writes- “ We should try to search for God and thus realize the truth which will liberate us from the material bounds of existence and which is capable to illuminate the whole world with its divine light “.

Tagore believed that God is one and he has created human being and Nature. We perceived a unity in Him and through Him the fraternal bonds between all human beings and the external Nature. Hence, he emphasized adjustment between Nature and Human Soul. I.e.; man. Tagore was a great humanist and regarded man as a reflection of God. He disapproved any distinction and discrimination between man and man and advocated unity among all the people of the world. In short, Tagore wanted to inculcate self- mental progress is essential. Hence, he emphasized that education should promote this progress by all means.

Tagore was not only a philosopher and social reformer but also a great nationalist to the core. He yearned for the freedom of his mother land from foreign bondage. To make his country free he emphasized the need for economic and industrial development, social reforms, integration and removal untouchability together with social discrimination in all its forms; beliefs and actions.

Tagore’s view on different aspects of education

Concept of education

Tagore was deadly against the then prevalent system of education which snatched the child from the laps of Nature very early in life,  confined him within the boundaries of school and then put him into an office or factory. According to Tagore, God reveals Himself through Nature more effectively than through man- made institution. Hence, the education of the child should be under natural surroundings so that he develops love for all things around him. Explaining the meaning of education Tagore has written- “That education is highest which not only imparts information and knowledge to us, but also promotes love and fellow- feeling between us and the living beings of the world”.

Aims of education

Rabindranath Tagore has not written any book on education, yet from his writings and speeches, one can find out that the aims of education which he prescribed were almost the same as were advocated by our ancient seers and saints. In the following lines, we discussed the chief aims of education as advocated by Tagore:

1)   Physical development

Tagore believed that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Hence, he insisted that the first aim of education should be to develop the child physically. For this, he prescribed various physical activities as swimming, diving in ponds, climbing on trees, plucking fruits and flowers and various types of games and sports in the company of natural phenomena. He also prescribed a healthy and wholesome diet for children.

2)   Mental development

According to Tagore the second aim of education should be to promote mental development. Here again, Tagore like Rousseau condemned bookish teaching and prescribed more and more activities and experiences in the open fields were Nature teaches him more than books. Tagore has written- “In comparison with book learning, knowing the real living directly is true education. It not only promotes the acquiring of some knowledge but develops the curiosity and faulty of knowledge and learning so powerfully that no classroom teaching can match it”.

3)   Moral and spiritual development

Being idealist, Tagore emphasized that the third aim of education should be to promote moral and spiritual development of the child. In his writings he has thrown light on a number of moral and spiritual values which education should strive to inculcate in children. For this purpose education should teach children self- discipline, tolerance, courtesy and inner freedom.

4)   Development of all faculties

Tagore’s individualism is well known. He firmly believed that the chief aim education should be the drawing out of all the latent faculties of the child. To him, the child is more important than all kinds of books, rules and teachers. His personal problems namely self- development, self- experience and self- expression can only be reinforced by individual experiences. Hence, Tagore opposed the crushing down of child’s individuality by traditional, rigid and lifeless rules or regulations. Instead a child should be free to enjoy complete freedom to develop his mind and soul to the full in an environment of love, regard, sympathy and affection. In short, Tagore exhorted that the child should be saved from the burden of dead books and imposed discipline and allowed all initiative and self-experiencing.

5)   Development of international attitude

According to Tagore the last aim of education should be to develop an international attitude in children. Through Tagore was individualist, yet his individualism did not cut across his socialism and even internationalism. To the extent he emphasized individual development, to the same extent he advocated the development, of society and whole human race. In fact, Tagore’s vision was that an individual should develop to the fullest extent and then he should contribute his best to the promotion of international welfare.

Curriculum

Tagore wished to develop a whole man. To him the then prevalent system of education was faulty and defective. It could not develop the individuality to the fullest extent. According to him curriculum should be such as to develop an individual physically, mentally, morally, socially and spiritually to the utmost limits. For this, a curriculum based on activities and broad experiences in real life situation is necessary. This will develop the personality of the child to the full in all its aspects. Tagore emphasized that together with various subjects, different part of curriculum. In his Vishwa Bharti, even today, History, Geography, Nature study, Agriculture and practical subjects are taught with Horticulture, Gardening, Field study, Laboratory Work, Original Creations, Arts, Sculpture, Vocational, Professional and Technical subjects. As to co-curricular activities, there is a bewildering variety of these as Dancing, Knitting, Singing, Cooking and what not. Vishwa Bharti is known the world over for its wide and varied studies, hobbies and cultural refinements synthesizing the ancient and modern achievements of Indian people in all fields of human activity.

Methods of teaching

Like his condemnation of the lifeless and dull curriculum of his days, Tagore also condemned the artificial and mechanical methods of education prevalent during his times. He emphasized that methods should be based on the real problems of life. To Tagore, methods should bring out the development of the child according to natural interests and tendencies. Hence the child should be provided with more and more opportunities to investigate and research from original resources by his free activities. So that he gains knowledge directly. Tagore consider the following methods of teaching as proper and affective.

1)   Teaching While Walking

Tagore believed that education imparted in the classroom does not influence the mind and body of the child. He remains passive, inert and inactive. Tagore was of the opinion that during walking, the mind keeps awake and the child easily grasps knowledge of things by coming directly in contact with them. In his words – “Teaching while walking is the best method of education “.

2)   Discussion and Question- Answer Method

To Tagore, real education is not mere cramming of books. It must be based upon real problems of life. Thus he advocated the Question-Answer method as very effective. According to him problems should be put before children for discussion so that they are able to think logically and argue out. Thus, they will be able to develop their knowledge and gain essential knowledge.

3)   Activity Method

Tagore emphasized the activity method as a method of great importance because it activizes all the faculties of the body and mind. Hence, he made the learning of some handicraft compulsory in his ‘Vishwa Bharti’. Tagore so implicitly believed in activity method that he allowed any physical exercise or activity even during class teaching or regular study at some place.

Teacher

Tagore believed that only man can teach another man. Thus, he gave a very important place to teacher in his scheme of education. According to him a teacher should do the following activities:-

1)   Believing in the purity and innocence of child, the teacher should behave with him with great love, affection, sympathy and consideration.

2)   Instead of emphasizing book learning, the teacher should provide conducive environment to the child so that he engages himself in useful and constructive activities and learn by his own experiences.

3)   The teacher should always be busy with motivating the creative capacities of children so that they remain busy with constructive activities and experiences.

Santhiniketan (Abode of peace) and Viswa Bharati

As an alternative to the existing forms of education, he started a small school at Santhiniketan in 1901. Later this school was developed into a university and rural reconstruction centre, known as Viswa Bharati in 1921, where he tried to develop an alternative model of education that stemmed from his own learning experiences. He dedicated forty years of his life to his educational institution at Santhiniketan. Students at Santhiniketan were encouraged to create their own publications and put out several illustrated magazines. The children were encouraged to follow their ideas in painting and drawing and to draw inspiration from the many visiting artists and writers. The main characteristics of the Santhiniketan School are the following:

·        It is a community school where there is no distinction of caste and creed.

·        Co-educational and residential institution

·        It is a self – governing institution has a dairy farm, post office, hospital and workshop.

·        It is based on the concept of freedom of the mind.

·        Mother tongue is the medium of instruction.

·        It is situated in natural surroundings and it provides for manual labour.

·       There is a well-e        quipped library.

Rabindranath Tagore envisioned Viswa Bharati as a learning centre where conflicting interests are minimized, where individuals work together in common pursuit of truth and realize that “artists in all parts of the world have created forms of beauty, scientists discovered the secrets of the universe, philosophers solved the problems of existence, saints made the truth of spiritual world organic in their own lives, not merely for some particular race to which they belong, but for all mankind”. Various institutions, which have developed at Viswa Bharati, are following;

·        Sisu Bhavan ( nursery school)

·        Path Bhavan ( school section – matriculation examination )

·        Siksha Bhavan ( higher secondary )

·        Vidhya Bhavan ( college undergraduate and PG studies and research )

·        Vinaya Bhavan ( teacher’s college )

·        Kala Bhavan ( college of fine arts and crafts )

·        Sangit Bhavan ( college of music and dance )

·        Sriniketan ( department of rural reconstruction )

·        Siksa satra ( rural high school )

·        Silpa sadana (college of industrial training )

·       Cheena Bhavan ( school of languages- Chinese, Tibetan etc.)

Evaluation of Tagore’s philosophy of education

Tagore was influenced by the book ‘Robinson Crusoe‘. According to him man and nature have an original integration. Thus, be wanted to develop the natural atmosphere away from the dirty and immoral atmosphere to towns. He also emphasized that the education of child should be according to his needs but his love of nature should not be taken to mean that Tagore was a Naturalist or a Pragmatist. As a matter of fact, Tagore remained an earnest Idealist all through his life. He considered Nature as a powerful agency for the moral and spiritual development of the child. Hence, he exhorted that children should be taught in the ‘Forest Schools’ as in the ancient times , away from the dirty and filthy atmosphere of towns which exert a very unhealthy influence upon the mind and body of the child. According to Dr. Radhakrishnan – “Rabindranath did not claim to produce an original philosophy. His aims was not to analyse or speculate about the Indian tradition. He expressed it in his own vivid phrases, and homely metaphors, and showed its relevance to modern life”.

Anyway, Rabindranath Tagore was a great philosopher of 20^th century. His greatness lies in the fact that while condemning a dead, rigid and lifeless education organized by the alien British rule for Indians, he formulated and planned a system of education on ancient philosophical and spiritual foundations for the good of Indian people. In this sense we can say in the words of H.B.Mukerji – “Tagore was the greatest prophet of educational renaissance in modern India. He waged a ceaseless battle to uphold the highest educational ideal before the country and conducted educational experiments at his own institution, which made them living symbols of what an idea should be.

  PRASEETHA

NATURAL SCIENCE