Page 10 - july-september-2019

Santiniketan Story

Santiniketan runs on the principles of humanism,
internationalism, and sustainable environment. On
December 22, 1901, Rabindranath Tagore established
an experimental school at Santiniketan in Bolpur, West
Bengal with five students including his eldest son.

samridhi Dixit, iX b, Jankidevi Public school, Jaipur; gowri
somasekharan, Vii, bhavan’s adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad, Kochi

Jai Vardhan Singh Shekhawat, VI,
Siddhi Sagar Academy, Lalitpur
HiSTORY uNiQuE EDuCATiON

Santiniketan was earlier called Bhubandanga and He developed a curriculum that was a unique blend of
was owned by the Tagore family. In 1862, Maharishi art, human values, and cultural interchange. Students sat
Devendranath Tagore, the father of Rabindranath on hand-woven mats under trees that they were allowed
Tagore, came across a picturesque landscape. He built to climb and run beneath during breaks. The studios are
his house there and called it Santiniketan. open 24/7 for students who want to work.
Rahul gurung, VIII B, Pine Hall School, dehra dun ananya reddy. a, iX e, bharatiya Vidya bhavan’s Public school,
Vidyashram, Jubilee hills, hyderabad; aaditya singhvi, Viii a, Maharana
Mewar Public school, udaipur

pHiLOSOpHY Of pEACE HARMONiOuS ARCHiTECTuRE
The architecture of Santiniketan is such that it reflects Upasnagriha is a beautiful deity-less prayer house, made
Tagore’s philosophy about education and living in of Belgian glass with marble stairs on all four sides. In the
harmony with the environment. He wanted students evenings, candles are lit around the building.
to grow and develop amidst nature, where their minds
could run free. Some others are:
• Gaur Prangana, which is an open space at the centre of
Vernacular architecture was used so that the peaceful the campus where students meet and interact.
ambience of nature was not broken.
• Purvatoran and Paschimtoran are the two buildings
The houses of the teachers were organised as clusters, where classes are held.
called pallis, to give a feeling of an intimate township.
Khushi Kaushik, iX, balwant rai Mehta Vidya bhawan, asma, New Delhi

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