ABSTRACT
Rabindranath Tagore’s conception of Visva-Bharati, his international university, grew out of his critique of the politics of conflict inherent in nationalism. Through Visva-Bharati, Rabindranath articulated his idea of a mode of education that, he hoped, could initiate a union of cultures. This paper explores the ideological bases of that project and some of the nuances it entailed. According to the author, Visva-Bharati remained grounded in an idea of self-respect that had affinities with anti-colonial nationalist thought. Visva-Bharati foregrounded the idea that the colonised race needed to strengthen its cultural selfhood so as to equip itself for a self-respecting relationship with the West. The author argues that in his writings on Visva-Bharati Rabindranath attempts to conceptualise an education that can combine an awareness of selfhood with an emphasis on principles like syncretism and inclusivity.
