Nature in the poet’s school: Festivals of Santiniketan

Abstract

Rabindranath’s pedagogic ideas relied mostly upon the idea of freedom. Since his childhood days, the poet was discontented with colonial system of education. The confinement of younger minds within the four walls of a school led him to ponder upon alternative modes of pedagogic practices. In 1901, Rabindranath sought to institutionalize his ideas with the foundation of Bramhacharyasrama at Santiniketan. The poet’s school proposed to liberate education from the strict territories of classrooms with a strong desire to ignite creative young minds. Right from its inception, classes were held on open fields. The idea was to allow nature to shape young minds. This paper seeks to look at the nature festivals of Santiniketan which complemented Rabindranath’s philosophy of education.