LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Rabindranath Tagore's Views on Education

Prabha Parmar, M.A., Ph.D. (English)

Rabindranath Tagore
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore

Tagore's Childhood, Education and Achievements

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is one among the greatest writers of modern Indian literature. He was a great Bengali poet, novelist, educator, and an early advocate of Independence for India. He was born on 7th May, 1861. At the end of the 17th century, his forefathers had migrated from their native lands to Govindpur (one of the three villages which later came to constitute Calcutta). He was the 14th child of his parents. His brothers and sisters were poets, musicians, playwrights and novelists. This family was also involved in diverse activities at the national level.

Tagore was born in a rich family of Bengal. A teacher came to teach him at home. Tagore was not interested in his academic studies. He was interested in drama, music, art and poetry. The manner of his early schooling was to leave a deep impression on him. When he was 12, his father took him to a meditation centre. Here he learned Sanskrit, astronomy and the scriptures that formed the basis of his reformed religion. In 1878, he was sent to London to qualify for the Indian Civil Service or as a lawyer. He took his matriculation examination and then joined University College, London. There he enjoyed British social life and Western music. But he returned home suddenly after some eighteen months without completing his education.

Rabindranath continued his personal education and his creative writing and music even after coming back to India. Tagore married when he was 23. At this stage, he had started to share his father's religious responsibilities in the Unitarian Universal Church.

Nobel Prize

All of us know about the fame of Rabindranath Tagore as a poet, novelist and educator. He was awarded Noble Prize for literature. He was the first Indian to get this prize for literature. He became very famous now. He got this prize in 1913. Tagore travelled through Europe, America, China and Japan. People spoke highly of his learning. He was honored and admired for his extraordinary literary genius and fine speeches.

Two years later he was awarded the knighthood by the British government but he surrendered it in 1919 as a protest against the Massacre of Amritsar, where British troops killed some 400 Indian demonstrators. The University of Calcutta gave him the degree of Doctor of Letters.

Tagore's Philosophy of Education

Tagore was famous as a poet and novelist. He was famous as an educator. The meaning of the word educator is a teacher, a specialist in the theory and practice of education, an administrator of a school or an educational institution. Tagore was totally fit in all these frames.

The word education has a Latin derivation. The meaning of this word is "educare" in Latin Dictionary, which means bringing up children physically and mentally. But normally education is regarded as synonymous with school instruction. But it is not true; it is only part of the education process. The main aim of education is to prepare the student for future life so that he or she acquires the necessary equipment to discharge his or her responsibilities successfully.

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