MPFP1023 PHILOSOPHICAL

IDEAS IN EDUCATION
DR. SUBADRAH MADHAWA NAIR
Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies
City University
Petaling Jaya
Lecture 9
Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore

 Divine poet, Rabindranath Tagore was born during a

period of strife in pre-independence India. He stood for
the development of a free mind, free knowledge and a
free nation. Even as a young boy he could sense that
school was nothing but a dead routine and lifeless. He
regarded schools as mills of rote learning with no freedom
for creativity. Schooling almost had no influence in his
life. According to him, the primary objective of education
was to enable the preservation of the perfect symphony
between one’s life and the world outside.
 There are four fundamental principles in
Tagore’s educational philosophy;
naturalism, humanism, internationalism
and idealism. Shantiniketan and Visva
Bharathi are both based on these very
principles.
 He insisted that education should be imparted in a
natural surroundings. He believed in giving children the
freedom of expression. He said, “Children have their
active subconscious mind which like a tree has the power
to gather its food from the surrounding atmosphere”.  He
also said that an educational institution should not be “ a
dead cage in which living minds are fed with food that’s
artificially prepared. Hand work and arts are the
spontaneous over flow of our deeper nature and spiritual
significance”.
 According to him, “Education means enabling the mind to
find out that ultimate truth which emancipates us from
the bondage of dust and gives us wealth not of things but
of inner light, not of power but of love. It is a process of
enlightenment. It is divine wealth. It helps in realization
of truth”.
 Theaim of education is to bring about
perfection of man by dispelling ignorance
and ushering in the light of knowledge. It
should enable us to lead a complete life –
economic, intellectual, aesthetic, social
and spiritual.
The main objective of his school –
Shantiniketan was to cultivate a love
for nature, to impart knowledge and
wisdom in one’s native language,
provide freedom of mind, heart and
will, a natural ambience, and to
eventually enrich Indian culture.
 ForTagore, religion was an ideal. His ‘Visva
Bharathi World University’ stood for his nobility of
soul. In the pamphlet named ‘The Centre of
Indian Culture’, the poet expresses the ideals of
Visva Bharathi.
 There he writes, ‘In education, the most inspiring
atmosphere of creative activity is important.
Primary function of the institution must be
constructive; scope must be for all kinds of
intellectual exploration. Teaching must be one with
culture, spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic, economic
and social. True education is to realize at every
step how our training and knowledge have an
organic connection with our surroundings”.
 Tagore says, “We should know that the great task
of our institution is to provide for the education
of the mind and all the senses through various
activities”.
 Referring to religion, Rabindranath Tagore likens
an educational institution to ‘a wide meeting
place where all sects may gather together and
forget their differences’. In the memorandum of
association of the Visva Bharati, Tagore writes the
objectives as, “To study the mind of man in its
realization of different aspects of truth from
diverse points of view, the culture of Visva
Bharati is the culture of man and its keynote lies
in the truth that human personality is not a mean
trifle, it is also the Divine personality”.
 Healso lays emphasis on the learner’s contact
with nature. Apart from physical activity, nature
teaches a man more than any institution.
Educational institutions should realize the
importance of this fact and inculcate co-curricular
activities to good effect.
 Tagore believes that, one of the main aims
of education is to prepare the individual for
the service of the nation and education
stands for human regeneration, cultural
representation, harmony and
intellectualism.
 Educational institutions should build on the
power of thinking and imagination in an
individual and help turn herself/himself
into a self-sustained building block of
human society and a creative canvas of
nation on the whole.
 Toquote Tagore: “A day will come when the
unvanquished man will retrace his path of
conquest, despite all barriers, to win back his lost
heritage”.
 Letus hope that the same quote applies to
our Indian education system. Tagore’s
foresight on natural environment as
background to child’s education is much
needed at present because of the lack of
breathing space in the current school
curriculum.
 A child is bogged down to amass grades and marks
throughout its schooling, which also builds pressure on the
parents. Not to even mention school fees that are shooting
through the roof, the present schooling gives lesser
importance to the well-being of a child. 
 We have reached the point where most schools
are run without even playgrounds. If we keep
tripping without trying to learn from failures, we
might end up with a dislike for the very process of
walking, and thereby miss all the pleasures of the
gift of evolution. Shifted preferences, politics,
socio-economic degradation of the nation is
terribly reflecting on our education system. It is
high time we took notice and did something.
Vivekananda
 Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and one of the
most celebrated spiritual leaders of India. He was more
than just a spiritual mind; he was a prolific thinker, great
orator and passionate patriot. He carried on the free-
thinking philosophy of his guru, Ramakrishna Paramhansa
forward into a new paradigm. He worked tirelessly
towards betterment of the society, in servitude of the
poor and needy, dedicating his all for his country. He was
responsible for the revival of Hindu spiritualism and
established Hinduism as a revered religion on world stage.
 Early Life and Education
 Born Narendranath Dutta, into an affluent Bengali family
in Calcutta, Vivekananda was one of the eight children of
Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. He was born
on January 12, 1863, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Father Vishwanath was a successful attorney with
considerable influence in society. Narendranath’s mother
Bhuvaneshwari was a woman endowed with a strong, God-
fearing mind who had a great impact on her son. 
 Asa young boy, Narendranath displayed sharp
intellect. His mischievous nature belied his
interest in music, both instrumental as well as
vocal. He excelled in his studies as well, first at
the Metropolitan institution, and later at the
Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he
graduated from the college, he had acquired a
vast knowledge of different subjects.
 After the demise of Sri Ramakrishna, around
fifteen of his disciples including Narendranath
began to live together in a dilapidated building at
Baranagar in North Calcutta, which was named
Ramakrishna Math, the monastic order of
Ramakrishna. Here, in 1887, they formally
renounced all ties to the world and took vows of
monkhood. The brotherhood rechristened
themselves and Narendranath emerged as
Vivekananda meaning "the bliss of discerning
wisdom". 
Conclusion

 The brotherhood lived off on alms donated voluntarily by

patrons during holy begging or ‘madhukari’, performed
yoga and meditation. Vivekananda left the Math in 1886
and went on a tour of India on foot as a ‘Parivrajak’. He
travelled the breadth of the country, absorbing much of
the social, cultural and religious aspects of the people
he came in contact with. He witnessed the adversities of
life that the common people faced, their ailments, and
vowed to dedicate his life to bring relief to these
suffering.
 Lecture at the World Parliament of Religions
 During the course of his wanderings, he came to know about
the World Parliament of Religions being held in Chicago,
America in 1893. He was keen to attend the meeting, to
represent India, Hinduism and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s
philosophies. He found assertion of his wishes while he was
meditating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, the southernmost
tip of India. Money was raised by his disciples in Madras (now
Chennai) and Ajit Singh, Raja of Khetri, and Vivekananda left
for Chicago on May 31, 1893 from Bombay.
 He faced insurmountable hardships on his way to
Chicago, but his spirits remained as indomitable
as ever. On 11 September 1893, when the time
came, he took the stage and stunned everyone
with his opening line “My brothers and sisters of
America”. He received a standing ovation from
the audience for the opening phrase. He went on
to describe the principles of Vedanta and their
spiritual significance, putting Hinduism on the
map of World Religions.
He spent the next two and a half years
in America and founded the Vedanta
Society of New York in 1894. He also
travelled to the United Kingdom to
preach the tenets of the Vedanta and
Hindu Spiritualism to the western
world.
 Teachings and Ramakrishna Mission
 Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 amidst
warm reception from the common and royal alike.
He reached Calcutta after a series of lectures
across the country and founded the Ramakrishna
Mission on May 1, 1897 at Belur Math near
Calcutta. The goals of the Ramakrishna Mission
were based on the ideals of Karma Yoga and its
primary objective was to serve the poor and
distressed population of the country.
 The Ramakrishna Mission undertook various forms
of social service like establishing and running
school, collages and hospitals, propagation of
practical tenets of Vedanta through conference,
seminars and workshops, initiating relief and
rehabilitation work across the country.
 His religious conscience was an amalgamation of
Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual teachings of Divine
manifestation and his personal internalization of
the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. He directed to
achieve the divinity of the soul by undertaking
selfless work, worship and mental discipline.
According to Vivekananda, the ultimate goal is to
achieve freedom of the soul and that
encompasses the entirety of one’s religion.
 Swami Vivekananda was a prominent nationalist,
and had the overall welfare of his countrymen
topmost in his mind. He urged his fellow
countrymen to “Arise, awake and stop not till the
goal is reached”.
Death

 Swami Vivekananda had predicted that he will not

live till the age of forty. On July 4, 1902, he went
about his days’ work at the Belur Math, teaching
Sanskrit grammar to the pupils. He retired to his
room in the evening and died during meditation at
around 9. He is said to have attained
‘Mahasamadhi’ and the great saint was cremated
on the Banks of river Ganga. 
Legacy

 Swami Vivekananda revealed to the world the true

foundations of India's unity as a nation. He taught how a
nation with such a vast diversity can be bound together by
a feeling of humanity and brother-hood. Vivekananda
emphasized the points of drawbacks of western culture
and the contribution of India to overcome those. Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose once said: "Swamiji harmonized the
East and the West, religion and science, past and present.
And that is why he is great
 Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-
respect, self-reliance and self-assertion from his
teachings." Vivekananda was successful in
constructing a virtual bridge between the culture
of East and the West. He interpreted the Hindu
scriptures, philosophy and the way of life to the
Western people. He made them realize that in
spite of poverty and backwardness, India had a
great contribution to make to world culture. He
played a key role in ending India's cultural
isolation from the rest of the world.
Education

 According to him education is a continuous process; it

should cover all aspects of life - physical, material,
intellectual, emotional, moral, and spiritual. His
attitude towards modernization is that the masses
should be educated before anything else is done. He
wanted to remove from India four major evils, via; 1)
priest-craft, 2) poverty 3) ignorance 4) tyranny of the
wise. He tried to make the people of India understood
that political and social strength should have their
foundations on cultural strength. He has a true vision of
philosophy of education in India in its cultural context.
 His educational thought has very great significance
today because modern education has lost much of its
connection with the values of human life. Therefore, he
suggested that education should not be for stuffing
some facts into the brain, but should aim at reforming
the human mind. True education to him, was not for
the carrier, but for the contribution to the nation. The
great religious saint and social reformer died in 1902
when he was just 39 years. He is no more but he will be
remembered for ever on this earth. His missions and his
preaching are will continue inspiring the coming
generations.
The ultimate aim of all education and all
training, according to Swami Vivekananda:

 1. CREATION OF SELF – CONFIDENCE AND SELF – REALIZATION:


                        Man
has an immortal soul which is the
treasure –house of infinite power. Man should,
therefore, have full confidence in himself and
strive to reach the highest goal of his life, self-
confidence leads to self - realization. 
 2. FORMATION OF CHARACTER
                         Character
is the aggregate
of a Man’s tendencies, the sum –total of
the bent of his mind. We are what our
thoughts have made us. It is, therefore,
that education should aim at sublimating
the evil tendencies of our mind.

3.                 DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY
              Personality
is the influence, the
impression, one creates on    the others. It is the
personality of a man that counts. “According to
Vivekananda, personality is two – third and his
intellect and words are only one – third in making
the real man.” The ideal of all education and all
trainings should be this man – making.
 4. SERVICE OF MIND
             Another
important aim of education is serving
the God in man. It is the God in the sick, the poor, the
miserable, the ignorant and the down – trodden what
we should worship. In Swamiji’s own words, “if you
want to find god, serve man.” He was pained to see the
wretched poverty of his countrymen. He, therefore,
wanted that education must enable everyone to stand
on his own feet and satisfy his own primary needs.
  5.PROMOTION OF UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD
             Swami
Vivekananda’s love for mankind
knew no geographical boundaries. He always
pleaded for the harmony and good relationship
of all nations. He said,’ through education, we
should gradually reach the idea of universal
brotherhood by flinging down the walls of
separation and inequality.

6. THEAIM OF KEEPING IN VIEW THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS
OF LIFE
           ToSwami Vivekananda, the practical aspects of
life must not be ignored in any scheme of education.
Only then, it will be possible to make an individual self –
dependent and the country prosperous. Swamiji said: “It
will not do merely to listen to great principles. You must
apply them in the practical field, turn into constant
practice.” So he has emphasized the importance of
education in agriculture and other practical arts.
  7.AIM OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT
             The
second aim of education is that the
child should able to promote national growth and
advancement as a fearless and physically well
developed citizen of tomorrow. Stressing the
mental development of the child, Swamiji wished
education to enable the child to stand on his own
legs economically rather than becoming a parasite
of on others.

       8.AIM
OF MORAL AND SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT      
             According to Swami Vivekananda, a
nation's greatness is not only measured by its
parliamentary institutions and activities, but also
by the greatness of its citizens. But the greatness
of citizens is possible only through their moral and
spiritual development which education should
foster.
    9. THE AIM OF SEARCHING UNITY IN DIVERSITY
             The true aim of education is to develop insight
into the individuals so that they are able to search out
and realize unity in diversity. Swami Vivekananda has
further asserted that physical and spiritual worlds are
one; their distinctness is an illusion (Maya). Education
should develop this sense which finds unity in diversity.
 10. AIM OF RELIGIOUS
DEVELOPMENT                                   
             To Swamiji, each individual should be able to
search out and develop the religious seed embedded in
him and thus find the absolute truth or reality. Hence
he advocated the training of feelings and emotions so
that the whole life is purified and sublimated. Then
only, the capacities of obedience, social service and
submission to the teachings and preaching's of great
saints and saviors will develop in the individual.
Education should foster this development.
 11.ROLE OF TEACHER AND STUDENT IN EDUCATION     
             According to Swami Vivekananda a person with an
attitude of renunciation, influence children through his ideal
example, love his students,  sympathize at their difficulties,
teaching according to the needs, abilities and interests of the
them, contribute to their spiritual development can be a good
teacher.
             A student should have an inclination and eagerness to
learn. He should be an observer of celibacy. He should have
control over his senses. He should follow the ideals laid down
by his teacher.
 PEACE EDUCATION
             Constructive education for peace must aim to
reform humanity so as to permit the inner development
of human personality and develop a more conscious
vision of the mission of mankind and the present
conditions of social life as was so emphatically averred
by Swami Vivekananda as well. What we need today is
an education that is capable of saving mankind from the
present predicament. Such an education involves the
spiritual development of man and the enhancement of
his value as an individual and preparing the young
people to understand the time in which they live.
 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
             Environmental education is viewed as an
integral part of the education process. It is taken to be
centred on practical problems and can be an
interdisciplinary character. It should aim at building up
a sense of values, contribute to public well being and
concern itself with survival of the human species. Its
force, therefore, should aside mainly the initiative of
the learners and their involvement in action and it
should be guided by immediate and future subject of
concern. Environmental education enables them to
manage the environment in which they live through a
 CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

            The
concept of citizenship education should target
to mould the future citizens into the frame of a civic
society where citizens are aware of their rights, respect
democratic ideals and work for a welfare society with
shared responsibility. Education for democratic
citizenship is a set of practices and activities aimed at
making young people and adults better equipped to
participate actively in democratic life by assuming and
exercising their rights and responsibilities in society.
Thank you