Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, philosopher, and educator who founded the Visva-Bharati University. He was born in 1861 in Bengal and dedicated much of his life to educational reform in India. He believed education should be rooted in nature, culture, and community. Tagore established the Santiniketan school in 1901 which later developed into Visva-Bharati University, aiming to create a synthesis of Eastern and Western thought. His educational philosophy emphasized freedom, creativity, internationalism, and learning through experience rather than textbooks.

1. 1
Rabindranath Tagore
08th October 2016
Presenter:
DR.C.THANAVATHI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
IN HISTORY,
VOCCE, TUTY.
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2. Rabindranath
Tagore
by William
Rothenstein.
Courtesy: British
Museum
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4. Rabindranath
Tagore
as Baul in
Phalguni,
1916.
Painting by
Abanindranath
Tagore.
Photo: Mukul
Dey Archiv
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5. RabindranathT
agore
in-1925
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9. courtesy: rabi
bichitra, iccr,
bengal art
gallery
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10. Kaviguru with
Helen Keller in
NY- aami chini
go chini
tomare ogo
Videshini..
Rare picture
of
Rabindranath
Tagore with
Helen Keller in
New York in
1930.
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11. In this rare
photograph from
The Hindu’s
archives, Helen
Keller, the blind
American author
and labour
rights activist,
greets
Rabindranath
Tagore at a
meeting in New
York in 1930
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12. Albert Einstein
and
Rabindranath
Tagore, Taken
back in the
year 1930 at
Dhaka, where
Einstein came
to see Mr.
Tagore
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13. Rabindranath
Tagore, when in
Berlin, paid a visit to
Professor Albert
Einstein in his cottage
at Caputh near
Berlin, where the two
world famous men
had an enjoyable
time in this August
24, 1930 picture. pic
courtesy:http://www.
thehindu.com
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14. Rabindranath
Tagore and
Jawaharlal
Nehru,
engaged in
deep
conversation on
November 4,
1936 at the
Sylvan retreat
of the poet at
Bolpur. pic
courtesy:http:/
/www.thehindu
.com
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15. Mahatma Gandhi's
promise of meeting
Rabindranath
Tagore annually is
honoured when he
visited him at
Santiniketan in this
February 20, 1940
picture. Here
Tagore is in rapt
attention to what
Mahathma Gandhi
is saying. pic
courtesy:http://ww
w.thehindu.com
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16. Poet Rabindranath
Tagore reclining in his
bed in a railway
compartment at
Howrah station when
he left for
Shantiniketan after
recovery from his
illness. This photo was
published on
November 22, 1940.
pic
courtesy:http://www.th
ehindu.com
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17. Poet Rabindranath
Tagore reclining in his
bed in a railway
compartment at Howrah
station when he left for
Shantiniketan after
recovery from his illness.
This photo was
published on November
22, 1940. pic
courtesy:http://www.the
hindu.com
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18. Sir Maurice Gwyer,
Rabindranath
Tagore, Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan
come out from
Sinha Sadan,
Santiniketan after
the Oxford
University
Convocation on
August 7, 1940.
pic
courtesy:http://ww
w.thehindu.com
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19. Mahatma
Gandhi and
Kasturba at a
reception
given by
Rabindranath
Tagore at
Santiniketan in
this February
20, 1940
picture. pic
courtesy:http:/
/www.thehind
u.com
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20. Contents
20
1 Biography
Aims of Education2
Curriculum
Naturalism
Teaching Methodology
Qualities of Teacher
3
4
5
6
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21. Biography
1861-1941
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22.  Tagore was born on 6th may 1861 in Bengal in a prosperous family.
 At primary level his father provided him education in Sanskrit language,
Indian philosophy & Astronomy.
 For higher education he was sent to Bengal Academy where in he
developed an aversion to the prevalent dull rigid and dull education.
 He was then sent to England where in he left it and further studied on
his own. He gradually started writing in magazines etc.
 He turned into a poet, dramatist, philosopher and painter. He was then
awarded the title of Gurudev
 He got the Nobel prize as he translated Gitanajali in English.
 The Indian govt. awarded him with the degree of Doctorate in1915 which
he eventually gave away after the Jallianwala bagh incident.
 He established Vishwa Bharti on 22nd sept,1921 whose aim was to
create a synthesis of he east and west.
 He died in 1941 10/29/2020
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23. His literary and educational
pursuit:
1. Rabindranath composed his first poem at age eight,
and by the end of his life, had written over:
2. twenty-five volumes of poetry,
3. fifteen plays,
4. ninety short stories,
5. eleven novels,
6. thirteen volumes of essays,
7. initiated and edited various journals,
8. prepared Bengali textbooks,
9. kept up a correspondence involving thousands of letters,
10. composed over two thousand songs; and –
11. after the age of seventy – created more than two thousand pictures and sketches.
12. He dedicated forty years of his life to his educational institution at Santiniketan, West
Bengal. Rabindranath’s school contained a children’s school as well as a university known as
Visva-Bharati and a rural education Centre known as Sriniketan.
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24. His Philosophy
As a Vedantist: He had a firm belief in the philosophy
of veda.
 He believed in “I am Brahma”
 There is a spiritual bond between man and man.
As an Individualist: he believed in giving right type
of freedom to individual.
 Every individual is unique.
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25. As an Idealist: He believed that the man should live for the ultimate
truth which liberates us from from cycle of birth and death
 Had faith in absolute values.
As a Spiritualist: He believed that every individual should try to attain
spiritual perfection.
As a Humanist: He preached human brotherhood, having faith in
fundamental unity of mankind.
He remarked that ”even God depends upon man for perfecting his
Universe.”
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26.  As a Naturalist: He considered nature as a great
teacher
 God revealed himself through various forms, colors
and rhythm of nature.
 Tagore’s Internationalism: He was an ardent
prophet of world unity.
 He believed in world brotherhood
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27. Philosophy of Education
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TAGORE’S PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION
 Harmony with all things: harmony with nature, human
surroundings, and harmony in international relations.
His philosophy of education Is based on naturalism,
humanism, internationalism and idealism.
 Principle of freedom.
 Principle of Creative self –expression.
 Active communication with nature and man.
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28. Aims of
Education
(Discovery)
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29.  According to Tagore,
“God reveals himself through nature more effectively than through man
made institutions. Hence ,the education of the child should be under
natural surroundings so that he develops love for all things around him”
 According to Tagore,
"That education is highest which not only imparts information and
knowledge to us, but also promotes love and follow feeling between us
and the living beings of the world”
Concept of Education
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30. Aims of Education
Aims
Self
Realisation
Intellectual
Development
Freedom
Co-relation
of object
Social
Development
Mother tongue
as a medium
of instruction
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31. Physical
development
To include
activities like
swimming,
diving,
climbing trees,
plucking
flowers, etc.
Mental
Development
Acc to Tagore
”In comparison
with bookish
learning,
knowing the real
living directly is
true education.
It not only
promotes the
acquiring of
some
knowledge but
develops the
curiosity &
faculty of
learning and
knowing so
powerfully that
no class room
teaching can
match it.”
Moral &Spiritual
Development
Education should
strive for a
number of moral
and spiritual
qualities like self
discipline,
tolerance,
courtesy and
inner freedom
Development of
all faculties
Chief aim of
education should be
the drawing out of
the latent faculties
of the child.
To him a child is
more important
than himself
problems hence he
opposed the
crushing of the
child's individuality.
Hence he should be
given full freedom
International
Brotherhood
Though Tagore
was a individualist
yet he believed in
socialism,
internalism.
Acc to Tagore
individual should
develop to the
fullest extent and
then he should
contribute his
best to the
promotion of
international
welfare
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32. Dialogue
 The highest education is that which does not merely
give us information, but makes our life in harmony
with all existence.
 At first, children must gather knowledge through
their life because children are in love with their life,
and it is their first love. All its color and movement
attract their eager attention, and then they will
renounce their lives to gain knowledge.
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33. Curriculum
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34. 1. Subjects: Literature and languages,
Mother tongue, other Indian Languages and other foreign languages;
Mathematics;
Natural sciences such as Botany, zoology ,physics, chemistry, general science;
health education;
Social Sciences like geography, history, civics, economics, and Sociology;
Agriculture and Technical Subjects;
Arts, Music, Dance etc.;
Philosophy; Psychology and Religion
Broad-based Curriculum
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35. 2. Activities and Occupations:
Dancing
Dramatics
Music
Games and Sports
Drawing and Painting
Excursions
Agriculture and Gardening
Regional Study
Laboratory work
Social Service
3. Actual living and Community Service
Broad-based Curriculum
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36. 1. Education through emotions
through music, fine arts, painting, dance, dramatics and crafts
2. Education through mother-tongue
but was not against of English language
3. Manual training for spiritual aspect
found God in the labourer, the path-breaker and the tiller
4. Physical and Social Sciences
real legacy is the cultural heritage of the whole community
Curriculum : Other views
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37. Teaching
Methodology
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38. Methods of Teaching
 Teaching while travelling
 Debate and discussion method
 Activity method
 Heuristic method
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39. Teaching by
Walking
The mind in the
class room
does not
remain active
Hence by
walking the
mind remains
active awake,
hence the child
easily grasp
things
“Teaching by
walking is the
best method of
education
Discussion &
Question Answer
Real education is
based on real
problems of life
hence question-
answer method is
effective wherein
the teacher put the
questions & ask the
students to
participate in
discussions.
Thus they gain
essential
knowledge
Activity
Method
This method is
of great
importance
because it
activates all the
faculties of the
body & mind. In
Vishwa Bharti,
he made
compulsory the
learning of
handicraft.
He allowed any
physical
exercise or
activity even
during the
class teaching
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40. Qualities of
Teacher
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41. 1. Tagore gave an important place to teachers and asked them to carry
out the following activities.
2. Believing in purity and in his own experiences, innocence of child, the
teacher should behave with him with great love and affection,
sympathy, affection.
3. Instead of emphasizing on 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.
4. The teacher should always be busy with motivating the creative
capacities of the children so that they remain busy with constructive
activities and experience.
5. Education can be successfully imparted by understanding childhood
and giving oneself totally in love and union with it
How the teacher is?
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42. Some other features of education
 Women Education: he advocated women education
 In 1908 he established department of women
education in Shantiniketan
 Education for masses (Universal Education)
 Vocational Education
 Religious Education
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43.  Vishwa Bharti
 In 1901 Tagore set up a school Shantiniketan.
 Gradually over the years, it devoloped into Vishwa
Bharti- an international university
 Teachers and students live together in a spirit of
perfect comradeship with the motto “ where the
whole world forms its one single nest.”
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44. Naturalism
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45. Basis Naturalism
Followers • Rabindranath Tagore
• Aristotle
• Pestalozzi
Discipline Uncontrolled freedom
Teacher Behind the scene
Nature Naturocentric (nature is centre of reality)
Supremacy Physical and natural laws
Beliefs Does not believe in existence of God
Outlook Materialistic and mechanical
Emphasis Opposes bookish knowledge
Centre Child centered
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46. Basis Naturalism
Aims of education Self expression
Development Autonomous development
Curriculum Emphasis on science
Methods of teaching Learning by doing
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47. Evaluation of Tagore’s Philosophy
According to Radha Krishnan –”
 Rabindranath did not claim to produce any original philosophy. His aim
was not to analyze or speculate about the Indian tradition .He
expressed in his own vivid phrases and homely metaphors, and showed
its relevance to modern life.”
In the words of H.B.Mulherji –”
 Tagore was the greatest prophet of educational renaissance in modern
India. He waged ceaseless battle to uphold the highest educational
ideal before the country, and conducted educational experiments at his
own institutions, which made them living symbols of what an ideal should
be.”
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