Visva-Bharati University

Why in news?

• Visva-Bharati University will soon get the ‘heritage’ tag from UNESCO to take the distinction of world’s first living heritage university.

About Visva-Bharati University:

• Visva-Bharati is a public research central university and an Institution of National Importance.
• It is located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal
• It was founded in 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva-Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India.
  • It was inaugurated as a Centre for Culture with exploration into the arts, language, humanities and music.
• Its first vice-chancellor was Rathindranath Tagore, the son of Rabindranath Tagore.
• It was given the status of Central University in 1951 through a central Act.

What makes it special?

• Rabindranath believed in open-air education and introduced that system at the university, which prevails to date.
• This was due to his belief that walls represent the conditioning of the mind.
• Tagore did not have a good opinion about the Western method of education introduced by the British in India; on this subject, Tagore and Gandhiji’s opinion matched >> so he devised a new system of learning in Visva-Bharati.
• He allowed students to continue their course till the student and his teacher both are satisfied.
• At Visva-Bharati, if a course demanded by a student is not available, then the university will design a course and bring teachers for that course.
• The university would not be bothered by the consideration of whether there is a demand for the course.

Add ons:

• The structures in this institute constitute a myriad of architectural expressions which are as diverse as the Kalo Bari, a mud structure with coal tar finish and sculpture panels.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Visva-Bharati University’?

1.It was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya at Varanasi

2. The institution was given the status of a central university in 1951 by an act of the Parliament.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer