Expert Weighs in | ‘Tagore’s vision for Santiniketan difficult to restore, but UNESCO tag can help restore its historic structures’

How was Santiniketan established?

In 1863, Rabindranath Tagore’s father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, an active member of the Brahmo Samaj, bought some land from Bhuban Mohan Sinha, the talukdar of Raipur in Birbhum.

He first built a guest house and named it Santiniketan (the abode of peace). In 1867, he set up an ashram for prayers there. Gradually, the ashram and its surrounding areas also came to be known as Santiniketan.

In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore started a Brahmacharyaashrama with just five students, which became Patha Bhavana in 1925.

Punascha, the house in Santiniketan where Tagore lived. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

In 1921, Tagore set up Visva Bharati, which was declared a central university and institute of national importance in 1951. This also contributed to the expansion of Santiniketan, with more residential complexes, hostels and bhavans.

If you were to describe Santiniketan to someone who has never seen it, what would you say?

First of all, Santiniketan was set up to establish a connection between humans and nature. It is a place which not only imparts education but also teaches various forms of arts to students, such as painting, sculpture, music, dance, and drama. It is also home to Visva Bharati University. It is a place which signifies Tagore’s vision and a meeting place of students and scholars from across the world.

What was Tagore’s vision behind Visva Bharati and the town of Santiniketan?

Rabindranath Tagore’s motto was ‘Yatra Vishwam Bhavati Eka Needam‘ (where the world becomes a nest). This was his vision behind setting up an institute of learning where students would have the freedom to explore their surroundings, gather knowledge from nature, and imbibe different cultures. Visva Bharati was a home of learning which would become the meeting place for global cultures.

In this May 2016 photo, a senior student teaches younger pupils in the open air at Patha Bhavana at Santiniketan. (Photo: PTI)

Today, how close are the university and the town to Tagore’s vision?

It is unfortunate that today we are nowhere close to that vision. Today, the university has become a place which only provides degrees and not Tagore’s idea of education. The way of ashram life and the concept of Santiniketan have lost their meaning with the passage of time.

What will the UNESCO tag mean for Santiniketan?

It is difficult to bring back Tagore’s vision in the present-day education system and the environment of Santiniketan. We need to have a massive overhaul to imbibe his vision among the students and the surroundings.

However, with this recognition, Santiniketan will definitely get a facelift. The historic residences and bhavans inside the Visva Bharati University must be protected. The legacy of Tagore and his teachings must continue.