IP_ Tagore Issue - Final.indd - high commission of india mauritius

in craft classes and gardeningclasses. It was the belief of thepoet that by using their limbseven dull students improved intheir academics.Tagore thought that childrenhad a three-fold relationshipwith their environment,especially in the relationshipbetween Nature and Man.At the lowest level childrenlearned to use theirenvironment. This was the levelof ‘Karma’ (action). Man useshis environment for a living –he has to till the soil, buildhis house, weave his clothes.Therefore, children must betrained in various physicalactivities. At the next levelthey must gather knowledgeabout their environment. Theymust search for natural rulesand correlations, and formconclusions. They have to lookfor unity in the world of diversity.Only then would they be ableto achieve the true Jnana or‘knowledge’. This way, theywould try to gather knowledgeabout Nature and Man.At the highest level, it wasPrema (love) that binds anindividual to Nature and to theworld of Man. Through lovean individual loses his identityand becomes one with theworld. In the Poet’s schoolall such relationships werecultivated.Tagore was a believer inunity where each elementhad its own space. Thus,compartmentalization of one’sknowledge of and skill fora particular work and lovefor it were not exclusive toone another – they alwaysoverlapped. But for the sakeof better understanding, thesedivisions are made.Tagore also believed thatnone of these three levelscould be ignored for a properdevelopment of personality.One must give its due toKarma, Jnana and Prema forthe fullest growth of man.The finer things in life cannever be taught in a class.Children imbibe them fromthe environment or from thepersonalities around them.Tagore believed that thesequalities were already therein the child. Therefore, it wasthought essential to createa proper environment inthe school to bring out thedormant qualities in a child.The environment created atSantiniketan was, therefore,most appropriate for theeducation of children. Thechildren grew up in the midstof nature, however, onlyclose proximity to nature wasnot enough. It had to be aconscious encounter.Santiniketan was a beautifulplace with shady mangoand other fruit-bearing trees,under which children attendedtheir classes. Tall Sal treesshaded the avenues. Thechildren had their gardensto look after. There wereNature-study classes as part oftheir curriculum. They learntabout trees, birds and insectsat the Ashrama. Also, seasonalfestivals were celebrated tomake the children consciousof the spirit of the season,and establish a connect to theagricultural cycle.It was an experience for thechildren to sing Tagore’s songs,going round the Ashrama inthe moonlit night to feel thespirit of spring in their minds.What could be a better way ofKala Bhavana Painting class in progress in early yearsgrowing up in nature? Tagorefelt that a person was not fit tobe a teacher if the child in hismind was not alive still. Theyhad to share their experienceswith the children.Then the children were madeaware of the problems ofthe villagers living aroundSantiniketan. They regularlyvisited nearby villages to studytheir life and problems.The school subjects weretaught through experiments anddifferent types of experiencesas far as practical. Creativityin children was alwaysencouraged.Wednesday was the weeklyholiday in the school instead ofSunday.The children in the morningattended the weekly servicein the prayer hall. Theservice essentially was nondenominational– not cateringto one or the other dominantreligions. Devotional songs byTagore were sung. Carefullycreated and crafted, theseprayers would be such thatthey would be acceptableRabindra-Bhavana, Visva-BharatiINDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 2/2010 16 INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 2/2010 17