Library Herald Year : 2017, Volume : 55, Issue : 1 First page : ( 44) Last page : ( 52) Print ISSN : 0024-2292. Online ISSN : 0976-2469. Article DOI : 10.5958/0976-2469.2017.00004.5
Ray Partha Pratim Deputy Librarian, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan-731 235, West Bengal. Email: raypartha1@hotmail.com
Abstract
Rabindranath Tagore's concept of knowledge is based on his educational philosophy of fullness and conversion of individual fullness to social fullness. It can be achieved in an environment of complete freedom-freedom of mind, freedom of heart and freedom of will. But ultimate object of Tagorean concept of education for knowledge generation, dissemination and utilization was to serve the society for its development. Tagore believed education divorced from the stream of life and confined within the four walls of the classroom becomes artificial and loses its value. The present paper is an attempt to understand Tagore's concept of knowledge and methods he adopted to communicate it for societal development. It is observed that Tagore tried to give concrete shape of his ideas with the establishment of twin institutions at Santiniketan and Sriniketan for knowledge generation as well as dissemination. Besides library different traditional indigenous folk entertainment functions and festivals were instruments to communicate it to the masses for social consumption.