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Rekha Yadav : - Uprising in Indian education system by integrating philosophy with real situations of life: Instructive Viewpoint of Rabindra Nath Tagore Idealism

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ISSN (Online):2347-1697 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFORMATIVE AND FUTURISTIC RESEARCH ( IJIFR)

Volume -1 Issue -4, December 2013 Research Area: Education, Page No. : 92-100

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Uprising in Indian education system by

integrating philosophy with real

situations of life: Instructive Viewpoint

of Rabindra Nath Tagore Idealism

Rekha Yadav

ISSN (Online): 2347-1697

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF

INFORMATIVE & FUTURISTIC RESEARCH

PAPER ID: IJIFR / V1 / E4/ 041

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Uprising in Indian education system by integrating philosophy with real

situations of life: Instructive Viewpoint of Rabindra Nath Tagore Idealism

Rekha Yadav

Research Scholar

Department of Education

Singhania University, Rajasthan

Overview

Tagore advocates the value of economic aspect in education. He said that education is such a

mean by getting which a man can lead his life with prosperous way. Tagore wanted to get a

great revolution in Indian education system by integrating philosophy with real situations of

life. He was highly influential in introducing the best of Indian culture to the West and vice

versa, and he is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist of modern India. He

favoured international community which is possible through education. He wants to connect

the whole world into single chain through education. It is need of modern society to make

integration among all the nations. The feeling of international understanding should be

developed in a child through modern education. This study is based on Tagore’s Adapting

philosophy towards modernisation & uplifting of education system in 19th

Century. This

paper aims to enlighten Rabindra Nath Tagore viewpoints for uprising in Indian education

system that shows teaching should be practical and real but not artificial and theoretical that

will definitely increase the creative skill within a learner. That creativity will bring perfection

in the learning process and the student will be a master in his own field but not a slave to

mere theoretical knowledge which one delves deep.

Keywords: Integrating Philosophy, Real Situations, Instructive Viewpoint, Rabindra Nath Tagore,

Perfectionism, Revolution, Indian Education System, Knowledge, Behaviour, Character

1 Introduction

Education has changed the outlook of world map. It is the key which has magic results. The main aim

of education is to develop all around development of human being. It changes according to time and

situation. Today, the aim of education is not only improve the philosophical aspect of life but it

provides healthy scope of earning and improves the knowledge of one. Although the practice of

education has developed along with theories about education, many people often overlook this

connection between theory and practice. Tagore was a great advocate of spiritual education and also

stressed on harmonious development of the child with equal emphasis on mental, social and emotional

growth. Tagore was the greatest prophet of modern Indian renaissance who sought to bring change

through education. Philosophy of Education is a field of applied philosophy, drawing from the

traditional fields of philosophy ontology, ethics, epistemology, etc. and its approaches speculative

philosophy, prescriptive, or analytic to address questions regarding education policy, human

development, and curriculum theory, to name a few. Put another way, philosophy of education is the

philosophical study of the purpose, process, nature and ideals of education. Education awakens the

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social consciousness. Every man wants to lead healthy life. Philosophy makes him stable and provides

him internal support to face all the difficulties of life. Education develops all the aspects of human

beings. Educationalists and philosophers provide direction to the society on the basis of knowledge.

Philosophy lives in everyone with direct or indirect manner. Education develops man with his

inherent powers through different manner. In general, Philosophy is the study of general and

fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and

language. According to Tagore, “Education is that true knowledge which emancipates an individual

from sorrows and of an individual is ignorance. It is a tool of eradicating this ignorance. The goal of

life in Tagore is the attainment of salvation and it can be attained on ignorance. Education plays an

important role in removing ignorance.”

2 Need of the Study

Man on the earth is a supreme creation of God. God has given us the knowledge to know about what

is right and what is wrong, which he can understand through education. Various scholars and

educationists consider life and education as one. As we all know that change is the law of nature.

Everything on the earth changes with passage of time. Life is full of blooms. In this modern age, there

are different aspects of people. They have different motives in their life, but if we think about the

depth of life, nobody is happy in this materialistic world because science and technology has changed

power of the people. It has given the fast life to people. When we conclude the present conditions of

Indian society, we find that there is thrust of knowledge everywhere. As one of the earliest educators

to think in terms of the global village, Rabindranath Tagore’s educational model has a unique

sensitivity and aptness for education within multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural situations,

amidst conditions of acknowledged economic discrepancy and political imbalance. Education begets

education and through individual emancipation. One becomes civilized in his conduct, thought and

speech. It happened and we are moving towards modernity. In India, our saints thought that education

is not only a means of getting knowledge but also a mean of illuminate the demerits of emotions like

jealousy, enmity, anger, desire and love were immense. So they thought that educational process

should be religious and sacred. They had firm belief in the power of spirituality. By this man should

know his real self. It would make the mind happy, pure and peaceful by which the demerits of

ignorance, grief, desire and anger are eliminated. Spiritual Education was necessary in the ancient

time for achieving that aim. It betters an individual life which emphasizes upon the creation of a

healthy society and balanced and cohesive nature. No doubt, the result is beneficial. We will have to

seek the help of philosophy of our great educationists and philosophers as they can influence a new

spirit and in this regard the investigator has found that the educational ideas of Tagore may inspire

and help us in the regeneration of our present system of education. He was a great teacher worked in

bringing out the unlimited potential which is inherent in everybody in order to make him truly happy

and peaceful. He was interested in education. Throughout his life he was a frequent participant in

international education programmes. This strength will definitely help in the solution of the problems

arising in our education system with the youth. It will analyse the problems of a child and bring out a

possible outcome keeping his views in mind. This research will definitely be helpful to tackle the

problems of children.








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3 Tagore’s conviction concerning the importance of freedom in education

He saw education as a vehicle for appreciating the richest aspects of other cultures, while maintaining

one’s own cultural specificity. His experiences at Jorasanko provided him with a lifelong conviction

concerning the importance of freedom in education. As one of the earliest educators to think in terms

of the global village, Rabindranath Tagore’s educational model has a unique sensitivity and aptness

for education within multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural situations, amidst conditions of

acknowledged economic discrepancy and political imbalance. As he wrote:

“I was brought up in an atmosphere of aspiration, aspiration for the expansion of the human spirit. We in our

home sought freedom of power in our language, freedom of imagination in our literature, freedom of soul in our

religious creeds and that of mind in our social environment. Such an opportunity has given me confidence in

the power of education which is one with life and only which can give us real freedom, the highest that is

claimed for man, his freedom of moral communion in the human world.... I try to assert in my words and works

that education has its only meaning and object in freedom–freedom from ignorance about the laws of the

universe, and freedom from passion and prejudice in our communication with the human world. In my

institution I have attempted to create an atmosphere of naturalness in our relationship with strangers, and the

spirit of hospitality which is the first virtue in men that made civilization possible.”

Tagore's theory of education is marked by naturalistic & aesthetic values. He had a belief that "The

widest road leading to the solution of all our problems is education." Education can develop a new

pattern of life. Culminating in the realization of Universal man. Tagore's system of education

emphasizes the intellectual, physical, social, moral economic and spiritual aspects of human life. By

which a man can develop an integrated personality. For the first time in the arena of education, Tagore

established a new mile-stone. With boldness and firmness, he rejected a book-centred education for

students. To him it is not just to confine the mind of boys and girls to text-books only. It will kill the

natural instincts of a student and make him bookish. It will kill his creative skill. So, students should

be freed from the-book-centred education and should be given a broader avenue for learning. Tagore

had championed the cause of freedom. The same he wanted to implement in the field of education.

With that object he had opened Shantiniketan, Sri Niketan and Brahmachari Ashram. Accordingly, he

gave free choice to students to develop their interest in any field they like. To him, education should

be after the heart of a man. He explained freedom in three-categorized ways i.e. freedom of heart,

freedom of intellect and freedom of will. Education imparted in a natural way will lead to the

fulfilment of these three freedoms. One may pursue the vocational education or education of an

intellect, or education in any branch of the arts or one may become a sansei by observing celibacy.

Freedom is considered as an integral aspect of human development. Education is a man-making

process, it explores the innate power exists within the man. It is not an imposition rather a liberal

process their provides utmost freedom to the individual for his all-round development. He says,

Education has leaning only when it is imparted through the path of freedom".

4 Tagore’s teaching: Practical & Real

According to Tagore, teaching should be practical and real but not artificial and theoretical. As a

naturalist out and out, Tagore laid emphasis on the practicality of education. That will definitely

increase the creative skill within a learner. That creativity will bring perfection in the learning process








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and the student will be a master in his own field but not a slave to mere theoretical knowledge which

one delves deep. Tagore attached great importance to the fine arts in his educational curriculum. To

him, game, dance, music, drama, painting etc. should form a part of educational process. Students

should take active part in these finer aspects of human life for these are very essential to enrich soul

Tagore was deadly against bookish knowledge. It does not provide complete knowledge to the

students. Students learn with activity method. He can take part in every activity which helps him to

learn properly. When he learns in the class-room through lecture method, he thinks he is complete but

when he acts, he cannot show his worth. So, Tagore wants to include the students in every activity. It,

Rabindranath Tagore said that for the development of child's body and mind, learning through activity

is essential. Therefore he included activities like climbing tree, drama, jumping, plucking fruits,

dancing etc. in his educational programmes. Experimental Method is one of best methods of teaching.

It reduces illusionary aspects among the students. Child learns through different ways. He learns

directly from society, family and play-way groups. It helps the students to know about real

experiences of life. He learns from self-learning and experiments. Teaching is always welcomed when

it is given on the bases of direct experiences of life. It is only possible when the teacher will take the

students in the nature, the student can take direct experiences on the basis of real objects. They will

follow the learning according to their needs and objectives. Tagore said, “The contact with the real

objects that are presented before the students, it develops their logical and other skills.” The teacher

can also keep the model, it may be working or non-working related with the specified material, before

the students. The students can learn through their active participation. The students get knowledge on

the bases of senses. Tagore says that senses can analysis the materialistic society and it provides direct

knowledge to students on the bases of audio-visual aids and real participation of senses. They can

learn through the development of their senses, it will also improve their senses for getting knowledge.

Tagore also wants to develop mental abilities of the students through education. It is the function of

education to prepare him through different circumstances and environment. Education also develops

his mind. He was deadly opposed of bookish education. It does not make proper development of mind

of child so he wanted to provide direct knowledge to child from nature. He said, “There is education in

the mere effort of knowing a living a person directly instead of through books. It not only gives some

knowledge but develops the faculty of knowing to such an extent as is impossible in class-lectures- our intellect,

emotions or imagination, if divorced from reality, become feeble and distorted.”

5 Tagore’s Views on Education

Tagore did not write a treatise on education, but his ideas on education may be gleaned from his

writings and educational experiments in the schools he established. The way he was educated in

which he was brought close to nature, had an impact on his views on education. With this realisation,

Tagore turned his attention and thoughts towards the problems of education.

5.1 On the Curriculum in Schools:

Tagore considered lack of education to be the main obstacle in the way of India’s progress

and at the root of all its problems. The prevailing, colonial education system he found

unsatisfactory since the only objective it appeared to serve was to produce clerks to work in

government offices and British businesses in India.








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Tagore described the prevalent curriculum in Indian schools. He said that this curriculum

gives theoretical knowledge to child. It prepares a child for earning money. A child does not

study seriously. He wants to pass the examination. He concludes that it is narrow curriculum.

It cannot make complete development of a child. He wanted to construct a wide curriculum.

The aim of education is to make complete development of man. It covers physical, mental,

moral, spiritual and social development of child.

Tagore wanted to develop whole man. For this purpose, he recommended amendment in

current curriculum and make activity-centred curriculum with developing physical, mental,

moral and spiritual aspects. On the basis of it, child gets practical knowledge about every

aspect of with various kinds of activities. In this way he can meet to whole personality of

man. Tagore gives proper space to co-curricular activities in his kinds of curriculum. For the

complete development of a child, Tagore included different subjects, activities and co-

curricular activities in the curriculum.

He stressed the importance of science, technology and agricultural sciences, as well as

training in village crafts. Without these, it was not possible to revive the poor condition of life

in rural India. He felt that both spiritual and scientific knowledge are equally important.

Science without constraint will lead to endless desire for material goods and well-being, and

the meaningless pursuit of the instruments of war and power leading to suppression of the

weaker by the stronger.

He suggested teaching of history and geography to promote objectivity in thinking and to

facilitate desirable social change. It was necessary, Tagore felt, to make the younger

generation aware of their national cultural heritage and to grasp its significance for them. At

the same time, education should bring children face to face with the cultures of other

countries and persuade them to learn from them.

5.2 On Medium of Instruction

He was not in favour of using English as the medium of instruction because it hindered

assimilation of what was taught, and kept education confined to urban centres and the upper

classes. Thus, if the vast rural masses were to benefit, it was absolutely essential to switch

over to the use of mother-tongue at all levels of education; including higher education [since

he was from Bengal, a state in India, he suggested using the Bengali language]. He felt that

Indian education should focus in promoting creativity, freedom, joy and an awareness of a

country’s cultural heritage which was completely ignored.

The students learn from their surrounding environment. It is responsibility of teacher to use

mother tongue while learning. It will create proper environment of teaching learning process.

There is no worth of that teaching which does not based on mother tongue. It clears the

concept of teacher before the students. They can easily understand the concept of subject

matter. The process of education should be lively.

5.3 On Teacher and Teaching Methods:








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Tagore considered teachers to be very important in any scheme of education. He wanted

teachers to help young children to grow on their own as a gardener helps the young plants to

grow. Tagore gave an important place to teacher in his educational system and said that

education can be imparted only by a teacher.

Tagore emphasized on making teaching methods favourable to the real circumstances of life,

real facts of nature and real life of society. He says that a teaching method should be

according to the natural needs, interests and emotions of a child.

He wanted to use education as an instrument of change to make Indian young men and

women more rational and less subject to meaningless social and individual rituals.

Tagore wanted his students to acquire a scientific temper; in other words, he wanted teachers

to stimulate constructive doubt, the love of mental adventure, the courage and longing to

conquer the world by enterprise and boldness in thought and in action. These were the virtues

cultivation of which had made the West forge ahead.

He was against bookish learning. Dependence on books has deprived us of our natural faculty

of getting knowledge directly from nature and life and has generated within us the habit of

knowing everything through books. Books dehumanize and make us unsociable. Let students

gather knowledge and materials from different regions of the country, from direct sources and

from view

Tagore was against any form of corporal punishment to impose discipline. He wanted

discipline to come from within, from the pursuit of noble and high ambitions in life.

Discipline would follow naturally when minor impulses and desires were willingly forgone to

pursue grand creative desires.

He wanted his students to think in terms of the whole of mankind. He wanted them to become

universal men and women like him and to overcome feelings of narrow nationalism in order

that the world could live and grow in peace and fellowship.

5.4 On University Education:

He wanted Indian universities to integrate themselves with society and make an effort to

educate people living in the countryside. He did not want education to remain confined to the

cities and to particular classes of society. As stated by Tagore; in every nation, education is

intimately associated with the life of the people. For us, modern education is relevant only to turning

out clerks, lawyers, doctors, magistrates and policemen…. This education has not reached the farmer,

the oil grinder, nor the potter. No other educated society has been struck with such disaster…. If ever a

truly Indian university is established it must from the very beginning implement India’s own

knowledge of economics, agriculture, health, medicine and of all other everyday science from the

surrounding villages. Then alone can the school or university become the centre of the country’s way

of living. This school must practice agriculture, dairying and weaving using the best modern methods.

The main task of universities is to produce knowledge; its dissemination is its secondary

function. We must invite those intellectuals and scholars to our universities who are engaged

in research, invention or creative activity.

Science and its applications in the form of technology have led to the power and prosperity of

Western countries. Unless India acquired knowledge of science and technology through its

universities and schools, poverty and powerlessness would continue. To transform life and








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make it richer, healthier and more educated, it was imperative to resort to technology and

science. But Tagore wanted science to be taught along with India’s own philosophical and

spiritual knowledge at Indian universities.

6 Tagore’s outlook about aim of education

The main aim of education is to prepare a child with realities of life. He can also be prepared

for various other situations like social conditions and environmental conditions of life. It

enables him to adjust with his social environment. Tagore said, “The first and foremost

problem deserving attention at the present moment is the problem of creating harmony

between our education and our life.”

According to Tagore, artificiality should be prevented in a child’s development and haste

should be avoided, rather, his development should be effected in a natural manner. He said

that education should have the aim of intellectual development of the child. Man is the best

creation of God, and he gets the intellectual power as best gift. He has intelligence power and

can discriminate between two things. He discovers truth on the basis of his power. He makes

the life of his student comfortable in the society. He tries his best to make balance between

materialistic world and spiritual world.

Tagore wanted to get a great revolution in Indian education system by integrating philosophy

and real situations of life. He said that education should be fruitful for developing various

aspects i.e., physical development, intellectual development, moral development and spiritual

development. He says that the ultimate point in our education should touch our complete life

on the bases of economic, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, social and spiritual aspect. It

should make us complete. It is possible only through harmonious development of one.

Education can fulfil this aim. It should be based on broad manner.

Tagore says that all the truths should be integrated. We should make efforts to know about

truths of life. He favours utilitarian approach of education. He said that education should be

used for solving daily problems of life. It should be helpful in every sphere of life of human

beings. It can also helpful to remove the economic and social problems of life. The aim of

education is to prepare child for social environment.

The outlook of Tagore about freedom in education is specifically based on his educational

philosophy. He says that there should be no restrictions for the development of mental

activities. It will be beneficial for human beings and will improve his behaviour. He was an

individualist himself. He wants to develop innate powers of every individual on the bases of

his qualities. He said that man should get freedom for getting knowledge and improving his

abilities through his surroundings.

According to him, teacher can play very important role in inculcating these values. Every

child is the creation of God and teacher is an angel of that Supreme power. He helps child to

find out these powers. He is helpful to develop these abilities according to his personality and








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environment. Tagore advocates the value of economic aspect in education. He said that

education is such a mean by getting which a man can lead his life with prosperous way.

He further said that education must fulfil the basic needs of people. One can improve his

standard of life through well education. If it does not make a man self-reliant in his field, it is

useless to get education. Education prepares human beings for getting success in life. One can

stand on his feet’s through good education. Education prepares child to use his skills for

fulfilling his economic needs. Shanti Niketan can be seen the true example of his economic

aim.

He studied Indian conditions and evaluated that poverty and illiteracy are the main causes of

our sorrows. Maximum population of country is illiterate. So he emphasized on mass

education. He finds out two ways for removing these problems. Children should get

compulsory and primary education and latterly managing of adult education. Both kinds of

education should be provided in mother-tongue. Mass education is the main source of rural

upliftment. It can change outlook of rural backwardness. Education is an essential part of

every country. It is the need of hour to educate people. They can know about their rights and

duties. For mass awareness, the subject mass communication should be included in

curriculum. It is said if masses of country will be educated, they can change the outlook of the

country.

7 Conclusion

According to Tagore, if a person wants to be a good teacher s/he should follow some points like

removing the fear of teacher from the minds of students; changing the view of teachers relating to the

purpose and method of education; using narrative imagination; focusing on the education of rural

children; promoting the freedom of the child; and last but not least, kindling an awakening in the

minds of the students. Tagore’s views of education are not available in any single volume. It is

traceable in his various expressions. His ideas were derived mainly from his own experience.

According to him our modern education system is not so good because it does not allow us to

cultivate the power of thought and the power of imagination. Tagore wrote, “To read without thinking

is like accumulating building materials without building anything. We instantly climb to the top of our

pile and beat it down incessantly for two years. Until it becomes level and somewhat becomes level

and somewhat resembles the flat roof of a house”.

Tagore was opposed to any form of corporal punishment to discipline students because he thought

that fear of making mistakes prevents an individual from being free to venture a new thought, to

innovate, to ask questions, to be creative, etc. Discipline should be based on motivations like joy and

pursuit of creative tasks According to Tagore, lack of education is main obstacle in the way of India’s

progress and at the root of all its problems. It is true that in our country the basic objectives of

education system, such as promoting creativity, freedom, joy and an awareness of a cultural heritage

were completely ignored. At the time of Tagore, Indians have been divided into two parts due to the








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medium of education that was English. One who received this education and second those who did

not. He worked hard for the improvement of education system in India. Tagore has accepted the

meaning of education in complete form. His view point is wider than Plato and Spencer. He provides

education for internationalism. It will connect Indian and western ways of life. It integrates both

spiritual and physical aspects of different countries. Tagore can be considered the first educationist in

modern time that has made efforts for humanist world and also wanted to connect people on the basis

of brotherhood flings through education.

8 References

[1] Dutta, Krishna & Andrew Robinson (1995) Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man, London:

Bloomsbury.

[2] Kripalani, Krishna, Rabindranath Tagore (1980) Calcutta: Visva-Bharati.

[3] O’Connell, Kathleen(2002) Rabindranath Tagore: The Poet as Educator, Calcutta:Visva-Bharati, 2002.

[4] Tagore, Rabindranath (1980) Our Universe. Translated by Indu Dutt. Bombay: Jaico Publishing House

[5] Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) The Religion of Man. Boston: Beacon Press.

[6] Tagore, Rabindranath (1985) Rabindranath Tagore:Selected Poems. Translated by William Radice.

Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.

[7] Tagore, Rabindranath (1966) A Tagore Reader. Edited by Amiya Chakravarty. Boston: Beacon Press.

[8] Selected letters of Rabindranath Tagore (1997) edited by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson.

[9] Tagore Rabindranath. (1922) Creative Unity. London: Macmillan & Co.

[10] Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) Towards Universal Man. New York: Asia Publishing House. Tagore,

Rabindranath. (1917) My Reminiscences. New York: The Macmillan Company.

[11] Tagore, Rabindranath (1917) Personality. London: Macmillan & Co.

[12] Tagore, Rabindranath (1929) “Ideals of Education”, The Visva-Bharati Quarterly (April-July), 73-4.

Links

[13] http://www.globalsolidarity.org/articles/nonformal.html

[14] http://www.itihaas.com/modern/tagore-profile.html

[15] http://www.visva.bharati.com




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