Who named the school 'Shantiniketan"?
Answers
Answer:
Maharshi Debendranath Tagore
Not too many know that Shantiniketan, which means the abode of peace – long before it became the name of a place, was the name of the guest house Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of poet Rabindranath Tagore, had built when he founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1863.
Answer:
Rabindranath Tagore
Not too many know that Shantiniketan, which means the abode of peace , long before it became the name of a place, was the name of the guest house Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of poet Rabindranath Tagore, had built when he founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1863. It is believed that Rabindranath father had chanced upon an uninhabited land with red soil and paddy fields while on a boat ride from Raipur and took the decision to purchase the land. In fact, long before Shantiniketan got its name, it was known as Bhubhandanga, after Bhubhan Dakat ; a local dacoit!
Rabindranath Tagore, vision of setting up a school along the lines of the previously existing system of gurukul - a residential school where students lived with their teacher/guru ; was the foundation stone of Visva-Bharati. To actualise this vision, the ashram set up by his father was converted into an open air school. This acquired greater visibility when Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel Prize and went on to utilise the funds received further expand the school and rename it from Visva-Vidyalay to Visva-Bharati ; meaning communion of the world with India. It was recognised as a central university in 1951.
But there is more to Shantiniketan than just Visva-Bharati. Founded a year after the death of Tagore, a visit to Rabindra Bhavan is akin to having the privilege of walking down memory lane and living vicariously the life that was Rabindranath Tagore . Dating back to the 1960s, it is lined up with the personal belongings of Tagore including books, photographs as well as his writings ; including manuscripts and correspondence exchanged. The medal received on being awarded the Nobel Prize is also seen at the Rabindra Bhavan. The wealth of information housed within the Rabindra Bhavan is a treasure trove to dive in to even for a novice.