ABSTRACT
Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate, was a man of myriad gifts. It is, therefore, opportune to hark back to Tagore's vision and start cultivating respect for the socio-cultural diversity of this largest democratic country, from the very beginning of a child's thought development process, i.e. school education. Tagore believed that to live a meaningful life at present the people have to know the past well and the process should start as early as possible in life. Even the revised National Curriculum Framework of our country begins with a quotation from Rabindranath Tagore's essay, 'Civilization and Progress', in which the poet reminds the people that a 'creative spirit' and 'generous joy' are critical in childhood, both of which can be distorted by an unthinking adult world. Even though Tagore's vision of education may resonate in many of the educational documents adopted by India after independence, the record for implementing them has been dismal.
