Tagore\'s Thought on Rural Reconstruction and Role of Village Development Societies
Contents: Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction. 2. Review of literature. 3. Historical perspective up to Silaidah. 4. Establishment of Sriniketan and role of village organisation towards the rural reconstruction programmes: a detailed discussion. 5. Activities of PSV (Based on Viswa-Bharati Annual Reports and Audited Accounts) since 1922 to 1995-96. 6. Case study: analytical data from some selected villages. Summary and conclusion. Select bibliography.
"This book is focused on Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore\'s ideals on rural reconstruction and the co-operative role of the villages on rural development activities. The author of the book has analytically explained that in the present changed socio-economic scenario of rural society the poet-philosopher and the great social reformer Tagore\'s ideals on rural developments are more relevant today. Utilizing village resources as well as local human resources could do all types of development. Outside help (charity) is mere help to villagers unless united efforts of the villagers have the active role to make their villages self-reliant.
The book is documented by opinions of eminent personalities like Late Pannalal Dasgupta, Late Amita Sen (Ashram-Kanya), Late Shantidev Ghosh etc. and other eminent personalities who were closely associated with Tagore and Visva-Bharati. Moreover comments of village workers like Late Jnanendranath Ghosh and other old persons (Tagore\'s life time) who devoted their whole life for the development of the villages under the inspiration of Tagore\'s ideals have been collected to enrich this analytical study. This book is mainly based on the village level and secondary sources data and information collected by the author himself with his valuable experience as a villager of a village which was adopted by Sriniketan for all round development.
With this experience and with the help of collected data and information this critical analysis will be very fruitful to be one of the guidelines for sustained rural development to the social workers and researchers. He also points to the facts that in most cases village development societies fails to implement Tagore\'s ideas on rural reconstruction programme for solving different socio-economics problems. According to author, Tagore\'s ideals on rural reconstruction is more relevant today than it was earlier to achieve self-reliance, self-respect and self-confidence which are the basic foundations for sustained rural development in all aspects.
In this book, chronological study has been done from the inception of Tagore\'s Sriniketan \'Surul Kuthibari\' (Institute of Rural Reconstruction) up to 1995-96 in three phases: first phase: during Tagore\'s lifetime (1922-1941), Second phase: after the death of Tagore (1942-1950) and the third phase from the period 1951, when Visva-Bharati was recognized as a Central University by the Government of India up to the period 1995-96." (jacket)
