The 150 years Birth Celebration of Rabindranath Tagore was observed with great enthusiasm both by academics, as well as the people of this country. In India and also in abroad this celebration was unmatched by any such celebrations in recent times. Leadership, quite logically, was taken by Visva-Bharati, which was emulated by the others. The Netaji Institute for Asian Studies did not lag behind.
The reasons for this enthusiasm were not only because of the literary excellence of the poet, but it was realized also that the contributions left by him and experiments conducted in related fields, had been pathfinders in all fields of knowledge. He was not only the first Asian recipient of the Nobel Prize, but the institutions he established and promoted, are unique in character. In order to celebrate 150 years Birth anniversary, The Netaji Institute for Asian Studies, Govt. of west Bengal, Kolkata organized a two day seminar on in which a number of eminent academicians, scholars of different disciplines participated.
The Inaugural Session at the Institute had the privilege of having the Education Minister of the State, Shri Bratya Basu doing the honours and having four Vice-Chancellors, that of Visva-Bharati. University of Calcutta, Presidency University and Netaji Subhas Open University adorning the decorated bias. This attempt is not only an attempt to wither develop or summarise the lectures delivered by eminent people on both the days of the Seminar but is more to offer the participants the Institutes gratefulness for graciously giving their time for the deliberations.
Tagore's experiments with education and his dream to set up "a Real University" was naturally the first topic of discussion. Prof. Dr. Sushanta Dattagupta, in his short but succinct address, has forcefully brought forth this idea, pointing out how Tagore had regarded education as a Vehicle for the emancipation of the mind. He has also mentioned as well how Tagore's writings showed a keen scientific attitude of mind. Tagore's "বিশ্ব পরিচয়" (Visva-Parichay) and the Einstein has Tagore dialogue almost become the starting point of the philosophical foundation of science.
The presentation by Prof. Chinmoy Guha on Rabindranath and Romain Rolland is perhaps the 'piece de resistance of the book. Guha's immaculate French and his strong arguments in discussing the coming together of the two saints may keep the readers spellbound.
This idea of "Science and the Universal Reality of Tagore in his vision" was further carried to perfection by the excellence in the address delivered by the Prof. (Dr.) Bikash Sinha, in which he has mixed up quantum reality with Rabindranath's idea of natural science. His presentation is further carried with excerpts from actual exchange of conversation between Tagore and Einstein.
Dr. Partha Ghose has taken this idea further into the realm of music. He has found in Rabindranath a "Wonderful Synthesis of reason and passion". With suitable quotations from his poems and songs, he justified his conclusions succinctly.
Prof. Uma Das Gupta whose multiple treatises on Rabindranath have received compliments from studious minds, deals in detail about the post's views and experiments on education. She opines that Shantiniketan was to develop as a training ground for the transformation of the mind, freeing it from petty jealousies and opinions. She has mentioned two essays of the poet in Bengali, "Satyer Abahan" (The call of truth) "Sikhar Milon" (the unity of education) explaining this idea vividly.
Tagore was not only experimenting with education, but his another contribution was that of rural reconstruction, which he actually tried out at Sriniketan and adjoining villages. It can be traced to his "ingrained" humanism, observes Prof. Dikshit Sinha. His ideas of rural reconstruction as developed in "Samaj-chetana" and "Jibondodh" could be divided into four stages, said the author. His days at Patisar and Silaidah had enabled him to watch in intimate surroundings the conditions of the poor landowning ryots and farmers of Bengal. Hence he thought of reforms which would enable the amelioration their of pitiable condition. Rabindranath had written numerous articles like "Karmayanga", "Pallir Unnati" etc, in which he had explained and outlined his work plans. In "Swadeshi Samaj", he had presented a scheme applicable for the whole of India, but wanted it to be tried as an experiment in Bengal.
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