Libmonster ID: IN-1216
Author(s) of the publication: M. S. KALANDAROVA

M. S. KALANDAROVA

Candidate of Historical Sciences

R. Tagore Keywords:ShantiniketanVishva Bharati

"I chose a very beautiful area, which is far from the infecting influence of the big city. I know that young minds always love nature, their mother. For this purpose, I chose an open place, with a clear sky that freely flows into the soul of a person.

In such an environment, he can easily create his own visions and live them. All the colors of the season, which are so rich, could easily enter the soul. " 1

This is what Rabindranath Tagore, a poet and artist, founder of the Vishva Bharati International University, whose 150th anniversary the world community will celebrate on May 9, 2011, told students and teachers of Moscow universities in September 1930.

THE BIRTH OF SHANTINIKETAN

Shantiniketan is a famous university town located 158 km northwest of Kolkata. A three-hour train ride allowed us to get acquainted, to a certain extent, with this part of the state of West Bengal2. Endless green fields watered by lakes and ponds; Indian farmers working under the scorching sun; short stations selling food, souvenirs, newspapers and magazines; children begging for alms; singers entertaining passengers.

The birth of Shantineketan (formerly called Bhubandanga) is due to the poet's father, Debendranath, one of the leaders of the Bengali Renaissance. According to one of the legends, the maharishi (holy sage), returning one day by boat from a trip to Raipur, saw a landscape that struck him with its beauty. The meadows, the lush greenery of tallow trees and date palms, and the silence of the surrounding countryside enchanted him. In 1860, the maharishi bought a huge plot of land in Bolpur (Birbhum district) and over the next 40 years built an ashram**, oratories and a residential building, which he named Shantiniketan, which means "abode of peace"in Sanskrit. Over time, this name has spread to the entire territory. Shantiniketan has become a symbol of freedom and peace. Here, under the shade of evergreen trees, the maharishi meditated, and later the poet himself, as evidenced by the tablets under the trees.

Before moving to Shantiniketan, R. Tagore lived in the family estate at Shelaidaho in East Bengal. In 1890, at the request of his father, Rabindranath completed a short course in estate management in Calcutta and became its manager. The experience of managing the family estate will be useful to him in setting up a school in Shantiniketan. In 1901, the poet moved to Shantiniketan and planned to open an experimental school. But to make his dream a reality, Tagore had to sell the publishing rights to his works, and his wife, Mrinalini, some of her wedding jewelry.

SHANTINIKETAN ARCHITECTURAL ENSEMBLE

Among the buildings constructed by Debendranath in the second half of the 19th century are the beautiful colored glass temple and the Shantiniketan Griha residential building. Around the same time, an orchard was laid out. The soil in Birbhum district is dry and sandy, and to plant trees, it was necessary to fill a layer of fertile land brought from other places. The poet liked to walk here. Today, university students and numerous tourists walk along the shady alleys.

All buildings built in the late XIX-early XX centuries on the ter-


* The tallow tree (Shorea robusta) is an evergreen tropical plant with large leaves. It forms forests along the southern foothills of the Himalayas, as well as in the central provinces of India. author's note).

* * Ashramashram - a secluded abode, a dwelling of people who have devoted themselves to religious life, a place where the teacher lives with his students (author's note).

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The ritorias of Shantiniketan are now declared architectural monuments and are under the protection of UNESCO. Most of them were built between 1919 and 1941. Shantiniketan has always been in dire need of finances, and therefore the administration has been forced to save on everything. Architects and artists of Shantiniketan 3 improvised, creating functional, inexpensive, blending with the landscape structures made of clay and coal tar with thatched and reed roofs. The main criteria are simplicity and elegance of proportions. Students of the art college were engaged in decorating under the guidance of their teachers. The entire landscape is dotted with sculptures that have become part of nature: a Santal family; a group of workers running to the factory, their clothes fluttering in the wind; the tall figure of the Buddha's disciple, Sujat, and not far from him, sitting Buddha, next to which the artist Nandalal Bose planted a eucalyptus tree. The tree has grown, and today the wise Buddha philosophizes in the shade of the eucalyptus tree. Artists, architects and sculptors of Shantiniketan are like - minded people of Tagore, and their works have expressed his main philosophical idea: art is a part of a child's life, which he absorbs as naturally and easily as the air he breathes.

ASHRAM COMPLEX

Tagore continues the construction started by his father, which later experts will call the "Ashram Complex". And the first building of the future school, decorated with frescoes by the famous Indian artist Nandalal Bose and his students, was named Patha Bhavan (House of Knowledge). Later buildings of the complex are named after students who later taught in Shantiniketan. On Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26), as well as on the birthday of one of the leaders of the national liberation movement N. S. C. Bose 4 (January 23), the national flag is raised here, solemn rulers are held and lanterns are lit.

Many of the buildings in this part of Shantiniketan are built with donations from wealthy Indians. Including Singha Sadan, a building with a tower and a bell announcing the time and events of the current day to the residents of the ashram, as well as a rest house Panthasala and a well for travelers. Today it houses a bookstore and a railway ticket office.

In Singha sadan in 1940, the historic ceremony of awarding the doctorate to R. Tagore took place. The head of the English delegation began his speech in Latin: In Gangem Defluit Isis ("Isis flows to the Ganges"). Tagore responded to" a flurry of Latin "with" a flurry of Sanskrit, " which adequately conveyed Tagore's pride in Indian culture.5

There are still houses built for Tagore's older brothers and their families (the poet was the 14th child in the family). At one time, M. Gandhi and his wife Kasturba, J. Nehru and other prominent political and public figures of India came here.

In 1926, the Malanchi house was built here for the poet's youngest daughter, Mira, whose marriage broke up. Tagore wanted the house and garden they had planned together to be a comfort to a single woman.

In 1934, they built a typical Bengali hut, Chatiya, with a built - in modern glass showcase, which displays the works of Shantiniketan students. The showcase is still updated twice a week today.

TAGORE'S RESIDENCE

The Uttarayana complex of five houses belonging to the poet is located to the north of the ashram. Tagore couldn't stay in one place for long. By the end of his life, he was suffering from claustrophobia. Uttarayana is famous for the gardens laid out by the poet's son Rathindranath, who devoted his life to experimental gardening. Here and in the surrounding areas, he planted exotic plants and trees brought from all over the world.

The most impressive house in this part of Shantiniketan is Udayan. It belonged to the poet's son, but when Rabindranath came here, the young people left the house for a while and lived in the neighborhood. From the humble and functional-


* Santali - the largest (about 4 million people) of the Munda peoples living in India (mainly in Bihar, but also in the western districts of Bengal and Orissa), the Santali language (approx. author's note).

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nala Udayan gradually turned into an impressive house with a suite of rooms, each of which has its own style. Famous people not only from India, but also from Europe and America have stayed in these apartments.

Tagore's art workshop is located in a picturesque location by the lake in the Japanese Garden. The low ceiling and front wall, made of stone with hanging climbing plants, resembles a cave. It was in this studio that Tagore painted his paintings. Three other houses also served as a recreation area and creative laboratory for the poet. In Konark, the huge veranda was used as a theater stage where Tagore's plays were staged. The beautiful landscape in the background served as a natural setting. In Udichi, he taught a poetry class, and in Puli, which means "postscript", he created most of his paintings.

Shaimali's experimental house is interesting. The author of the original idea was Tagore himself, who proposed replacing the reed roof with a clay one. The walls of the house were built powerful, capable of supporting a heavy roof. One of the rooms was constructed using clay vessels with water, which were installed in the walls and masked with plaster. This allowed you to keep cool. This design of a dwelling, according to Tagore's idea, was intended to serve as a model for the construction of housing in rural areas.

The Shantiniketan architectural ensemble, built in the remote Bengali countryside, represents the essence of Tagore's life and philosophy.

Today, Shantiniketan is a prestigious rural area. Rich "new Indians", fleeing from the unbearable heat of Kolkata, build multi-storey mansions, not much different from the mansions in our native Moscow region. The age-old silence of the" abode of peace " is now broken by the hum of cars polluting the air.

But on the territory of Shantiniketan, students and teachers travel on environmentally friendly transport-bicycles. Graceful Indian women in saris, steering a bicycle with one hand and holding umbrellas in the other, are an admirable sight.

PATHA BHAVAN-POET'S SCHOOL

The original name of the school was Brahmacharaya Ashram. So traditionally called forest schools in ancient India, when the teacher lived in the wilderness of forests, far from the hustle and bustle of the world and students came to his abode hungry for knowledge. The teacher passed on orally the knowledge he had received from his guru (teacher). These were monuments of Indian literature - ancient Indian epic poems (Ramayana, Mahabharata) and sacred books (Vedas, Upanishads). "Not only folklore, but the works of many poets have been supported by oral tradition for centuries," Tagore wrote. The educational traditions of forest schools formed the basis of his teaching methods.

On December 22, 1901, classes began in a school of five students, including the poet's son, and five teachers. The school quickly gained popularity; students from various social strata came from all over India. The fame of the experimental school quickly crossed the borders of the subcontinent. A year later, the first foreign student from Japan studied at Patha Bhavan.

The morning began with a joint chant, then classes were held in the open air. After finishing the lesson, the children moved from place to place without feeling any restrictions. In addition to traditional academic disciplines, children were engaged in drawing, music, dancing, and performing in plays. Art occupied the same important place in the educational system as mathematics and physics. Tagore believed that a child should develop harmoniously. Forced cramming of boring subjects hinders the development of intelligence. He came to this conclusion based on his own experience. R. Tagore himself studied at a regular school in Calcutta, which did not bring any joy and pleasure. "Since childhood, we do not find joy in education. We learn only what is required of us, " 7 he wrote.

Tagore criticized the English education system, which focuses on information content. "Trees, vines, fresh air, a clear lake, a beautiful view - all this is no less necessary for a person than exams, desks,a slate. The soul of India came into being in close communion with its wonderful nature,"8 he reasoned. Shantiniketan, located far from the densely populated cities, was a place for people to interact with nature. On Tuesdays, literary "gatherings" were held, where children read their poems and stories, sang and danced, and acted out skits. In short, the teachers created all the conditions for the child's self-expression. They did not forget to introduce him to the work. Children tended fruit trees in the gardens of Shantiniketan.

The school day off was Wednesday. A weekly morning service was held in the prayer hall. Tagore was opposed to the introduction of religious education in schools. He believed that it is necessary to convey to the child the feeling that people are part of a huge creation, and to cultivate in him a sense of awe for this power of creation. At the service, Tagore's devotional songs were performed, selected with care to be acceptable to all religious movements. There was no competitive spirit in the school-

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There was beauty, love, mutual understanding, and cooperation.

SHANTINIKETAN HOLIDAYS

Graduation is now, as in Tagore's time, celebrated by presenting the graduate with a leaf of a garden tree, the same one under which Maharishi Debendranath, the founder of Shantiniketan, and later Rabindranath, once meditated.

As with Gurudeva, seasonal festivals are celebrated instead of religious ones. Push Mela begins on the seventh day of the Bengali month of Push (usually December 22 - 23), when the foundation day of Shantiniketan is also celebrated. The festivities last for two days and begin with a joint service that includes Vedic hymns and recitation of poems by Rabindranath and Maharishi. Students sing songs based on R. Tagore's poems and music. At the fair, folk theaters play performances, and bauls sing songs calling for universal brotherhood that does not know racial, caste or religious differences.

Magh Mela is held annually usually on 6 - 8 February, and the foundation of Sriniketan is celebrated on the same day. Tagore bought a plot of land 3 km from Shantiniketan in 1912 and in 1922 founded the Institute of Agricultural Reconstruction in Sriniketan. The first director of the institute was a friend of the poet, English agronomist Leonard Elmhurst (1893-1974). It is also home to a Rural Craft Center, an education Center for Rural Children and Adults, and other organizations.

The Sriniketan Handicraft Fair is held on public holidays. Another festival introduced by R. Tagore is Basanta Utsab, a spring festival celebrated in March, the day when all India celebrates Holi. On this day, teachers, students, numerous guests and tourists put on yellow clothes and paint each other with a coloring liquid - abir-in the bright colors of spring. On the last day of the festival, a general memorial service is held, when all those who were associated with Shantiniketan, from Maharishi Debendranath to ordinary university employees, are remembered.

WHERE THE WHOLE WORLD HAS BUILT ITSELF A SINGLE NEST

The poet's school was transformed by him in December 1921 into a university with the new name of Visva Bharati. Its motto is: Yatram vishwam bharati ekanidam - " Where the whole world has built a single nest."

Visva Bharati today consists of five schools, eight colleges, and fifteen centers. The University has long outgrown the modest institution that it was at the very beginning of its career. Today, young people from Asian countries come here to study not only music, painting, dance, languages, but also economics, ecology, mathematics, technology, and agriculture. In 1951, the Government of India declared Vishwa Bharati the country's Central University, and the Prime Minister became its honorary Rector. Today, this function is performed by Manmohan Singh.

In the twilight of his life, Tagore was extremely concerned about the future of his university. The wise gurudev probably foresaw the problems that the university would face in the twenty-first century. He shared his worries with his friends-Mahatma Gandhi, J. Nehru, N. S. C. Bose, but they assured him that his dream would be realized. Under Tagore, the university played a huge role in shaping the minds of young, future world-famous graduates. The famous economist and Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen (who was born in Shantiniketan in 1933) emphasizes the role of evening school, where he and his fellow students taught literacy to rural residents. It was this work that marked the beginning of his program to eliminate illiteracy. Academy Award-winning film director Satyajit Ray, who studied painting at the Kala Bhavan (Institute of Art) in the 1940s, acknowledged :" Studying in Shantiniketan brought me an understanding of our tradition that I knew before, and could serve as a foundation for any branch of art that I would like to learn. " 10.

PROBLEMS OF THE UNIVERSITY TODAY

In the pre-jubilee year (2011 marks the 150th anniversary of Tagore's birth), Indian newspapers were full of articles about the poet and his brainchild Vishva Bharati.

Truthfully written by the poet's descendants, former students


Holi (Phageahili or Bhojpuriis a popular annual Hindu spring festival. It lasts for two days in late February and early March. In the Hindu calendar, Holi usually falls on a full moon. Because of its colorfulness, it is known as the " Festival of Colors "(author's note).

page 72

like the teachers of Shantiniketan, these articles are captivating with sincere pain for their favorite university. They raise the veil over the problems that Vishva Bharati is experiencing today.

Supriyo Tagore, the great-grandson of the poet's older brother and former director of Patha Bhavan, accuses the university administration of abandoning Tagore's ideas and completely commercializing them. Sangeet Bhavana (Institute of Music) has now become synonymous with advertising and chistogan. The Institute does not conduct scientific research, and there is no proper library. "The only wing that honestly implements Tagore's philosophy is the Kala Bhavan (Institute of Arts. - M. K.)"11, - S. Tagore said in an interview with the Sunday Times of India newspaper.

R. Tagore wanted the university to have a center of Oriental studies, where foreign scientists would come to conduct further scientific research, and there would be a fruitful exchange of knowledge.

During his time, well-known Oriental scholars such as Sylvain Levy (France), V. Lesny (Czechoslovakia), M. Vinternitz (Austria) and others came to Shantiniketan with lectures, but over the years the administration stopped inviting scientists. And the point here is not so much in the desire of the administration, but in weak funding. Today, the University is directly dependent on grants from the University Grant Committee (UGC).

Another problem that concerns former teachers is the gap between school and university. Experienced teachers fear that this situation will lead to the same learning process as in public schools. S. Tagore graduated from Patha Bhavan in 1954. "Our teachers followed the philosophy of Rabindranath. They introduced us to plants, birds, and insects, and regularly took us out for walks on and off campus. Today, education has become absolutely bookish, " says the former headmaster.

Writer Amitava Chowdhury, a former student and university lecturer, says that " with the death of Guru Dev in 1941, Vishva Bharati lost its ashram character. It should be closed." In one of his last letters to M. Gandhi, Tagore wrote: "Vishva Bharati is like a ship carrying the priceless cargo of my life, and I hope that special care can be requested for its preservation from my countrymen."

Indians believe that Tagore would have been hurt to see how Shantiniketan has changed today, how actively the university's territory and its surroundings are being built up. It would be painful for him to see teachers and staff split into factions, and students involved in scandals. Today, in terms of its educational level, the university is not much different from a middle-class college. Once upon a time, the Tagore brand attracted famous scientists, writers, philosophers, and economists. Today, all this has sunk into oblivion.

Indians believe that Tagore would have been hurt to hear about the corruption scandal at his university. A commission of inquiry organized by the University Grant Commission is investigating a corruption case against Vice-Chancellor Vishwa Bharati and some other officials who hired employees using forged documents.

Tagore would also have been shocked to learn of the theft from the museum of his Nobel Prize, which he received in 1913 for services to literature. In addition to the medal, other exhibits were stolen. Chief Minister of West Bengal State Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called the incident a "disaster". The Swedish government was forced, contrary to established traditions, to issue a duplicate of the gold medal to the Indian authorities. Meanwhile, the fate of the original, as well as all the exhibits stolen from the museum (about 50 items of storage, including paintings, personal belongings of the poet) is still unknown.

Tagore probably would not have agreed with the officials from the Ministry of Culture of India who demanded the return of the poet's paintings to his homeland (12 paintings stored in Darlington (Devon, Great Britain), which were presented by Tagore 71 years ago to L. Elmhurst, an English agronomist, friend and colleague who worked in the remote rural hinterland of Sriniketan). As a result, on May 15, 2010, the paintings were sold into the wrong hands at Sotheby's auction.

* * *

Tagore was a unique personality, a talented artist, poet and writer, and an innovator in the field of education. He painted two thousand paintings, 2,230 songs, and became the only author in the world to compose two national anthems. His song Jana gana manna adhinayaka ("Lord of the Thoughts of all Nations"), written in 1911, became the national anthem of independent India in 1947, and the song Amorshonar Bangla ("My Golden Bengal") - the national anthem of the Republic of Bangladesh in 1975.

And yet, according to J. R. R. Tolkien, Nehru, Tagore's main legacy can be considered that "his creative work in the field of education even then turned Shantiniketan into one of the hotbeds of Indian culture" 12.

We can only hope that sooner or later this legacy will be revived.


1 R. Tagore's speech at a meeting with teachers and students of Moscow universities in September 1930 / / Soviet Archives, 1985, pp. 66-67.

2 West Bengal is one of the fastest growing economic regions in India, ranking 3rd in terms of economic performance and 6th in terms of education in the subcontinent.

3 Bose Nandalal (1882-1962); Surendranath Kar (1892 - 1970); Binode Bihari Mukherjee (1904 - 1980); Ramkinkar Baij (1906 - 1980).

4 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1845) - one of the leaders of the Indian Independence Movement.

Sen A. 5 Tagore and his India // Foreign Literature, 2009, No. 9, p. 250.

Tagore R. 6 What hinders education // Collected works in 8 volumes, Moscow, State Publishing House of Fiction, vol. 8, 1957, p. 245.

7 Ibid., p. 245.

8 Ibid.

The Bauls 9 ("baul "in Sanskrit for "wind") are a sect of itinerant singers and musicians from West Bengal. Their philosophy is a mixture of religious movements: Tantrism, Buddhism, Sufism, Vaishnavism, where man is the center of the universe.

10 Cit. by: Erokhin A. K. Toler'antnost ' kak ideal obrazovaniya v filosofii R. Tagora [Tolerance as an ideal of education in R. Tagore's philosophy]. Oikumena, issue 2, 2007, p.24.

11 Sunday Times of India. 9.05.2010.

Nehru J. 12 Otkritie Indii [The Discovery of India], Moscow, 1955, p. 365.


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