West Bengal is the native state, of the venerable philosopher-educationist-bard Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore curated an educational set up in ‘Shantiniketan’ to challenge the existing education system.
Shantiniketan is the place to come across the framework that was conceived. Many artists, craftsmen, linguists, creative intellectuals visited/visit Shantiniketan and left/leave their mark in the architecture, sculpture, artefact that adorns Shantiniketan. The university of Bishwabharati in Shantiniketan is still popular in India and to many foreign students for the departments of music, painting, dance, foreign languages and so on. ‘Shantiniketan’ is merely 205 k.m.s away from Piali
Bengalis, since childhood consciously/unconsciously encounter the work of Tagore in terms of stories, poems, novels, music, paintings. The kids in Piali are no exceptions. They learn about Tagore since childhood through curricular/extra-curricural material. The senior kids learn in their text about Tagore’s vision of ‘Shantiniketan’. A visit should gave them a real experience of possibilities through art and philosophy.
We would like to thank the ambassador Ms. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh, who introduced us to Mr. Vishal Patkar from GV Pharma, who decided to sponsor our excursion.