The word '' Shantiniketan '' means the abode of peace. Indeed | Milaap

The word '' Shantiniketan '' means the abode of peace. Indeed the place is. It is the perfect place to find the self .

Title: Shantiniketan- the abode of peace

Introduction

Shantiniketan was a dream of Maharshi Devendranath Tagore that was later on nurtured and practically constructed by his worthy son Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the world-famous poet, author, dramatist and artist of 20th century Bengal. The very word “Shantiniketan” means the “the abode of peace”. Indeed the place is. Located in the north- central region of West Bengal under Birbhum district, Bolpur-Shantiniketan is the perfect place to find the self because of the serenity and absolute peace.
The tranquil nature and the mesmerizing ambience of the red soil region can be the ultimate destination for those who are looking forward to escape from the city hustles and bustles. Bolpur forms itself with Shantiniketan, Sriniketan and Prantik. The famous Vishva-Bharati University, the open air schools of Shantiniketan created by Tagore and the famous handicraft industries are the most interesting things to explore here.

Located in Bengal’s rural hinterland, Shantiniketan embodies Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of a place of learning that is unfettered by religious and regional barriers.
As one of the earliest educators to think in terms of the global village, he envisioned an education that was deeply rooted in one’s immediate surroundings but connected to the cultures of the wider world. He originally named it Brahmacharya Ashram, in the tradition of ancient forest hermitages called tapoban.

History

On December 22, 1901, Rabindranath Tagore established an experimental school at Shantiniketan with five students (including his eldest son) and an equal number of teachers.

Rabindranath Tagore and Students, Shantiniketan, 1929.
The guiding principle of this little school is best described in Tagore’s own words,  "The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence"
Tagore wanted his students to feel free despite being in the formal learning environment of a school, because he himself had dropped out of school when he found himself unable to think and felt claustrophobic within the four walls of a classroom.
Flexible class schedules allowed for shifts in the weather and the seasonal festivals Tagore created for the children.

In an attempt to help with rural reconstruction, Tagore also sought to expand the school’s relationship with the neighbouring villages of the Santhal tribal community. Thanks to his efforts, Shantiniketan has today become the largest centre for educated Santhals in West-Bengal. Many of them have become teachers, several serving in Visva Bharati itself, while others have become social workers.
Shantiniketan can be credited with taking the first path breaking steps in the field of education at a time when the country was slowly getting hitched to the European mode of education (textual and exam oriented knowledge imparted in closed classrooms).
Other than a humane and environment friendly educational system that aimed at overall development of the personality, Shantiniketan also offered one of the earliest co-educational programmes in South Asia.

Tagore was one of the first to support and bring together different forms of arts at Shantiniketan. He invited artists and scholars from other parts of India and all over the world to live together there on a daily basis and share their cultures with the students of Visva Bharati. He once wrote:
"Without music and the fine arts, a nation lacks its highest means of national self-expression and the people remain inarticulate".
The grand Poush Utsav is celebrated on the Foundation Day of the University, while the colourful Basant Utsav is celebrated on the occasion of Holi. The Nandan Mela, which was originally started to raise money for a poor student who needed money for treatment, is today an event where university students display and sell their art. Other events like the Sarodotsav (Autumn Festival), Maghotsav (Founding Day of the Sriniketan campus) and Brikhsharopan Utsav (Tree Planting Festival) are also celebrated with great pomp and fervour.
On all these occasions, the entire campus has a festive atmosphere, with baul (traditional wandering minstrels of Bengal) songs, tribal dances, and other cultural performances being organised throughout the township.
Thanks to Tagore’s legacy, Shantiniketan has managed to preserve Bengal’s fast-disappearing rural crafts culture through folk markets, like the weekly Bondangaar Haat, and rural co-operatives, like Amar Kutir.
Conclusion

The ground-breaking outlook is also the reason why Shantiniketan has given India many luminaries like pioneering painter Nandalal Bose, famous sculptor Ramkinkar Baij, Nobel-winning economist Amartya Sen, globally renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray, and the country’s leading art historian R. Siva Kumar. The University also has several eminent international alumni that include Indonesian painter Affandi, Italian Asianist Giuseppe Tucci, Chinese historian Tan Chung, eminent Indologist Moriz Winternitz, and Sri Lankan artist Harold Peiris, among many others. Pouring his creative genius into his work, Tagore himself produced some of his best literary works, paintings and sketches at Shantiniketan. Over the years, Shantiniketan has adapted to the changing times. But the essence of the place is still what Tagore wanted it to be.
The Nobel Laureate’s life, philosophy and literary works find their greatest reflection in Shantiniketan, where classes are still taught in the open, where nature and its seasons are still celebrated instead of religious festivals, where the graduation ceremony is marked by the gifting of a chhatim leaf, and where education is rooted in Tagore’s philosophy that “the whole world can find a nest”.