Unit-2

Sriniketan Experiment

In India, Sriniketan Experiment in the beginning of this century was considered to be the first attempt in
rural development. Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore, a visionary and a poet had brought a sea change in the
environs surrounding Sriniektan in West Bengal. The programme aimed at socio-economic as well as
moral rehabilitation of rural community. As part of the rural development programme, monkeys and
malaria was eradicated in first phase. Later on, new strategy of agriculture, new breeds of cows, poultry
and village crafts were introduced. Doors of education were opened to village children, adults. In
addition, villagers were educated in the use of new agricultural implements by way of demonstrations.

The experiment was quiet successful in small area and in a few villages. The level of economy looked up
and the standard of living of people improved. New awakening and confidence arose among the
villagers. The experiment, however, could not be carried out for want of continued professional guidance
and trained personnel. Over and above, the government machinery tried to work in a mechanical
routine.

Inspite of innumerable handicaps, Tagore's ideas and influence inspired and penetrated every corner of
Sriniketan. He constantly urged that "our practical achievements, our clean milk, our fresh eggs, our
flourishing co-operatives, were all useful means, but still only means towards the achievement of much
greater end." He urged to draw up all resources, in music, song, drama and dance at Sriniketan, so as to
enrich lives and to increase delight in every kind of artistic expression, until the cultivators could produce
a richness and a wealth of cultural life and rejuvenation of these ancient art forms that still survived, but
so tenuously around the village.

The young Tagore had initially never seen the exploitation, illiteracy, and miseries of life that the villagers
used to experience because he was born into a zamindar family and raised in opulence. When Tagore
was in charge of the family's estates in East Bengal, he was exposed to the poverty and oppression that
enveloped the rural population, which sparked his passionate interest in village upliftment. He became
extremely sensitive to these people as a result of the entire situation, and he made the decision to
rescue them from this foreboding omen of doom in order to rebuild India and its communities. A British
agronomist named Leonard Elmhirst was inspired by Tagore's worldview and attitudes toward rural life
and society, which led to Tagore inviting him to work with him in India where they started to develop
strategies for social and economic development. From his statement, Tagore's ideas on rural
development reverberated:

If we could free even one village from the shackles of helplessness and ignorance, an ideal for the whole
of India would be established… Let a few villages be rebuilt in this way, and I shall say they are my India.
That is the way to discover the true India (Tagore, 1928).

The Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Sriniketan was founded as an experiment in 1922 on the
initiative of Tagore and Elmhirst to bring Tagore's idea to life. Elmhirst was allegedly the mastermind
behind the entire investigation. Rathindranath Tagore and Santosh Majumdar were assigned to study
agriculture at the University of Illinois in Urbana in 1906, and as part of the Sriniketan experiment,
Tagore later put them in charge of agricultural development. The "village restoration" effort done by
Rabindranath Tagore in Sriniketan is not as well recognized as what he did in Shantiniketan. The Institute
of Rural Reconstruction (IRR), which Tagore founded in 1922 at Sriniketan, was an effort to put his ideas
about rural development into practice.

Tagore has remembered how, as the manager of his family's agricultural estates in East Bengal in the
1890s, he, a "town-bred" person, came to understand the "sorrow and poverty of villagers."

The 15-point Village Reconstruction Charter by Tagore was published in Pabna in 1906. (now in
Bangladesh). This paper makes it obvious that he was most concerned with giving villages autonomy.
Utilizing "indigenously created things" was essential. Additionally, a village arbitration mechanism was
required to resolve all issues inside the community. To prevent famines, a local grain bank was required.
The Charter requests that "housewives" receive training in a trade that could increase the family's
income as a nod to the requirement of women's autonomy.

While Tagore wanted villages to be autonomous, he did not want them to be alone. He believed that
"brotherhood" between "hamlets, villages, and districts" ought to be fostered.

The goal of Sriniketan is to restore the fullness of life to the villages by helping them become
independent and self-respecting, knowledgeable about their own country's cultural traditions, and
capable of utilizing modern resources effectively for the improvement of their physical, intellectual, and
economic conditions.

The objectives of the mission were:

1. To win the friendship and affection of villagers and cultivators by talking a real interest in all that
concerns their lives and welfare, and by making a lively effort to assist them in solving their most
 pressing problems.

2. To take the problem of the village and the field to the class room for study and discussion and to
the experimental farm for solution.

3. To put the students in the way of acquiring practical experience in cultivation, dairy, animal
husbandry, poultry keeping, carpentry, and smithing, weaving and tannery; in practical sanitation
work; and in the art and sprit of cooperation.

4. To give the students elementary instruction in the science connected with their practical work.

5. To encourage in the staff and students of the department itself a spirit of sincere service and
willing sacrifice for the people of the surrounding villages.

6. To train the students to a due sense of their own intrinsic worth, physical and moral and in
particular to teach them to do with their own hands everything which a village householder or a
cultivator does or should do for a living, if possible, more efficiently.

A group of foreigners and Bengalis passionately supported the experiment. C.F. Andrews, W.W. Pearson,
Kim-Taro Kashahara, Dorothy Straight Whitney, and Miss Jenson were among the foreigners who made a
notable contribution to Sriniketan's growth as a model village, both through their own efforts and
occasionally by financial support.

Santosh Majumdar and Rathindranath Tagore were Elmhirst's closest friends. Kalimohan Ghosh was
another crucial worker, and Elmhirst did a great job of capturing his character: "Kalimohan, with his wide
rural experience, created the framework for all the work in the village in his function as primary
interpreter and contact person." As Tagore imagined, Sri, Dhirananda Roy, V.S. Masoji, a pupil of Kala-
Bhavan, and Gour Gopal Ghosh were additional outstanding soldiers behind the experiment.

The Sriniketan program broadly encompassed four topics: education, village welfare, crafts and
industries, and agriculture. The farming efforts were divided into three stages: experimentation, training,
and extension. Activities related to extension were given top attention.

7. To provide training and teaching to all farmers through actual life situations, a demonstration
plot was developed. To oversee all efforts, one or two agricultural workers from Sriniketan would
frequently visit the communities and farmers. In order to improve the rural resources and the overall
development of the villagers, dairy, poultry, pisiculture, and beekeeping were also some of the
prominent activities connected with the experiment. the importance of this program
An important component of the experiment was the cooperative movement. A cooperative is an
independent group of people who have come together voluntarily to support one another's economic,
social, and cultural needs and aspirations by co-owning and democratically controlling businesses.

In 1928, the concept of "Dharmagola," which reflects the cooperative philosophy, was introduced for the
benefit of the villagers. Later, it was discovered that several communities had Dharmagolas, and they
operated them pretty effectively. Every family used to deposit some paddy during harvest so that, in
times of need, they might purchase some by paying the lowest amount of interest that they could afford.
In a few villages, there were irrigation cooperatives that were in charge of building, maintaining, and
making the most use of irrigation canals. Mahila Samities (Women's Association) made a significant
contribution to the community's economic and social well-being. Mahila Samities have been very active
in Bolpur, Bandhgora, Bhubandanga, Surul, and Goalpara since 1936, and many initiatives have been
undertaken to improve the lot of rural women.

Santals, an underprivileged and indigenous community, surround the Birbhum district. They lived in
abject poverty as migrant workers. The establishment of the Santal Hitaishi Samiti in 1931, led by
Kalimohan Ghosh, was a turning point in the growth of this tribal society and gave the Sriniketan
experiment fresh life.

There are several factors to take into account when evaluating Sriniketan's impact. The reports of
Elmhirst, P.C.Lal, and others list a number of achievements that can be statistically verified, including
increased crop production, soil reclamation and reforestation, livestock improvement, a decrease in
epidemic-related fatalities, the establishment of cooperatives, the revival and creation of cottage
industries, the opening of schools, higher literacy rates, and so on. Despite Sriniketan's success, Tagore
acknowledged some of the experiment's challenges in his own writing. He admitted that the staff's
unrestricted flexibility had led to a disjointed program while asserting that "forces are pushing for
generating a full diversion from the road which we pursued when we first began our work." He
discovered that the "experts'" strategy had made it difficult to build rapport with the people.

The Gurgaon Experiment

Mr. Brayne was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon district in 1920. He was moved at the
uncertainty of rainfall, abject poverty, filthy dwellings, ill-health, ignorance, illiteracy of the rural people.
With a view to improve the living conditions of the rural people living in Gurgaon district he ivolved a
new technique of village development called the "Gurgaon Scheme." This was, in other words the
practical application of the principle that the central figure, viz., the villager himself must be made to
take greater interest in himself and in his village before any results can be achieved ; and the
Government agencies should do more to combine and co-ordinate their activities in order to assist, help
and guide him. The Gurgaon Scheme claimed to deal with the whole life and the activity of the peasant
and the family and to present the complete remedy from the terrible conditions in which he lived.

Development work under Gurgaon Scheme

Institutional :- Social-Health Association-Women's Institution

Sanitation:- Latrine, Urinals, Drinking Water

Agricultural Development:- Model farms-improved seeds and implements-preventive measures-co- -

operative farming

Education :- School Teacher as the centre of activity

Co-operation:- Co-operation in all activities

Social Reforms:- Prohibition of child marriages-education of girls-thrift-reducing litigation, combining

indebtedness.

According to Mr. Brayne, "our object in Gurgaon has been to jerk the villager out of his old groove,
convince him that improvement is possible, and kill his fatalism by demonstrating that both climate,
disease and pests can be successfully fought. He must be laughed out of his uneconomic and unhealthy
customs, and taught better ways of living and farming. Further the secrets of our success were to deal
with the whole of village life, to take the whole district as the field of operations and to deluge the areas
with every form of propaganda and publicity that we could devise of adopt or afford. Uplift is a mass
movement, a combined assault, and no area, no part of the life and no method of attack can be
neglected."

The developmental work was taken up under Gurgaon scheme under these sub-heads:

1. Institutional work comprised in the setting up of:

a. School of rural economy to train guides for the rural uplift-The school managed a farm of 51 acres on
long lease for the purpose of providing practical training to the students. The curriculum of the studies
including scouting, co-operation, practical agriculture, first aid, infant welfare, public health, domestic
hygiene and sanitation, stock breeding and elementary veterinary training. The students were exposed
to qualify in the examination in first aid, and co-operation and special test in all the other subjects. Those
who qualified in this test were appointed as village guides. The village guides were entrusted with these
duties:

i. Development of co-operation

ii. Public health work, collecting list for, preparing people for vaccinators' visit

iii. Cleaning of villages by digging of manure pits, putting in of windows, ventilators etc. in the houses

iv. Agricultural demonstration and sale of improved ploughs and other implements, improved seeds,
Persian wheel etc.

b. Domestic school of Economics to uplift village women. The curriculum of studies in the domestic
school included reading and writing up to primary standard, in the case of illiterate women, and some
instructions in sewing, knitting and making clothes, embroidery work, toy making, cooking, hygiene,
sanitation, first aid and child welfare, etc.

c. Health Association to promote public health

d. Women's Institution to manage the ladies' garden in Gurgaon and also to organize games and magic
lantern shows for the women and first-aid classes.

2. Rural Sanitation Work: with a view to improve living conditions in the villages by using manure pits as
latrines and preserving sweepings, rubbish and dung in properly dug pits. Efforts were also initiated to
fight epidemics like small-pox, plague and cholera.
3. Agricultural Development Programme: The programme was launched to exhort farmers to set up
model farms, use improved seeds, adopt Gurgaon plough and other iproved implements; use preventive
measures against crop pest, killing of field rats and monkeys and drawing out other harmful insects by
keeping lanterns in the fields. The programme also emphasized on the consolidation of fragmented land
holding on co-operative basis. The principal objective of this programme aimed at increasing yield per
hectare, so that the farmer gets a fair return on his efforts.

4. Education: Under the scheme, the school teacher was mad the center of all development activities in
the village. Mr. Brayne emphatically stated "The village school teacher with his school library, his night
school and his scouts must be the center of uplift and culture and he must be so trained that he can
solve all the simple problems of the villager, whether they are of agriculture, social or moral or relate to
public health."

5. Co-operation: Co-operation was given special thrust as the cornerstone of reconstruction of rural
areas. Everyone will extend whole-heartedly co-operation in the development of the village economy.

6. Social Reforms: Mr. Brayne had also realized that any process of economic development should run
concurrent with speedy social reformers, social reformers were aimed at:

a. Prohibition of child marriages

b. Education of girls in the mixed schools

c. Abolition of Veil system

d. Curtailment of ceremonial expenditure

e. Introduction of marriage registers by which litigation in family disputes is very much less ended

f. Propaganda against injuries litigation

g. Combating indebtedness

The Gurgaon scheme may be described as a judicious combination of the villagers' own efforts with the
activities of the nation building departments. It marked a definite departure in the technique of village
improvement. The programme at Gurgaon awaken the people and the Government to the vital problem
of village reconstruction.
Mr. Brayne himself realized that "Good Work, excellent work is going on all over the Punjab. You can
travel all day and find nothing that offends either eyes or nose. Village after village and zail after zail have
been turn into models of new life. Marvelous changes have been made and there is a feeling of life and
movement in the air. Have we found the incentive the? Will this work last and spread? Alhas no ! This
work is not being done by villagers determined to leave a better life but by villagers determine to please
their district officers. A good enough motive in its way but not the motto we are looking for. There is no
permanence about this kind of work. What if the district officer's attention is diverted elsewhere, or he
want something different does, or in a different series of villages? "

Marthandum Experiment
Marthandam was a densely populated market place in Kerala state then (South Travencore) for the
surrounding 40 villages within a radius of 5 kms. The people were poor. The land was worn out. There
were a few cottage industries. The quality of produce was poor. Wages were low. Water problem was
chronic. Large number of families were indebted. Interest rates were as high as 300 percent per annum
i.e. on a loan of Rs. 1000/-, interest of Rs. 3000/- to be paid per year. Mr. Spancer Hatch studied the
problems and initiated a five pronged rural reconstruction programme in 1921.

The philosophy of rural reconstruction was people's own programme. The personnel were only to help
them achieve the programmes.

The philosophy or rural reconstruction principles were:

7. The programme of rural reconstruction was people's own programme. The personnel were only
to help them achieve the programmes.

8. Help the people to help themselves upwards on all sides of life comprising spirit, mind, body,
economic, social and cultural.

9. People of all communities were to be included.

10. It is the poor who require help more and, therefore, reach the poorest.

11. Implement a comprehensive programme, and as such attention was devoted to the
development of poultry keeping, bee-keeping and other cottage industries like mats and basket
making, sugar, hand woven cloths, etc.
12. Spirituality should be the basis of every programme.

13. Simplicity should be the key-note of the programme. Unless the whole rural reconstruction
movement remains simple it would cost too much and would stop short of benefits to millions
of rural people.

14. Honorary unpaid service helps make an efficient and highly productive extension services.

15. Close co-operation between the rural people and the government officials is a must.

16. Emphasis was laid on training of workers.

The objectives of this project were also made on the basis as to how the public of this area could
become Christian. The main objectives of this project were:

· Spiritual development

· Mental development

· Physical development

· Social development

· Economic development

The extension secretary was chosen to oversee the group's efforts for this project. The communities
were conveniently served by Marthandam. Prize bulls and goats, model bee homes, demonstration
plots for enhancing grain and vegetable seeds, prize laying hen runs, a weaving shed, and other
things were kept there. Equipment for various cottage industries was also available inside the center,
including health charts and honey extractors. Cottage occupations were taught there, and
agricultural equipment was put to the test. The need of cooperation and self-help was emphasized
throughout. The Egg-selling Club was the project's fruitful product. which became a self-governing
organization in 1939. The honey club was another cooperative organization where the locals were
taught how to operate contemporary beehives and extract honey scientifically. The honey was
cooperatively cured and marketed. Bull clubs and weaver's blub were also present. The center's
activities might satisfy the villagers' requirements on a mental, physical, and spiritual level. The
project's primary flaws were a lack of funding and governmental support. Village laborers did not
remain in their villages, and Marthandam was primarily responsible for organizing the events.
Another significant obstacle to the institution's operations was its religious leaning.

Seva-Gram (1920)
Gandhiji dreamed of an independent and self-sufficient rural existence. He was aware of the rural
and grassroots issues in India and sought to address them on his own, without the help of any
outside organizations. He aimed to use local resources and people to address these issues. Gandhiji
is recognized by the public as a social and economic reformer as well as a political agitator and
Mahatma. He helped people realize that India is a rural nation and that the improvement of the
common man improves the nation as a whole.

The "salvation of India resides in cottage industry," he highlighted in reference to the nation's
development efforts. Decentralized production and equitable income distribution are the pillars of
his economy, as well as the self-sufficiency of Indian villages.

Instead of using a terrible eradication procedure to distribute money equally, persuasive arguments
and appeals to people's better nature were used to win over the owners. He claimed that
eliminating middlemen would enable Indian villages to become self-sufficient and ensure that
farmers received the full value for their crops. He intended the tiller to be able to eat his own
produce, including fruits, milk, vegetables, and other foods. The actual India will emerge only then.
Gandhiji established his Ashram in Wardha in 1920 and started the SEVA GRAM welfare programme
with these things in mind.

This program's principal goal was to stop the economic and social repression of the people, instill a
sense of patriotism in them, and make them believe that this is their own country. Gandhiji created a
program known as the Gandhian Constructive Programme to achieve this goal. The project's primary
goals were to

· to use khadi clothes

· to introduce Health Programme

· the programme of sanitation in the village

· the programme of women welfare,

· the programme of economic help

· to uplift the backward classes

· primary and adult educational programmes

· to improve the conditions of poor people

· programme of social harmony and

 · to popularise the mother tongue and other national dialects.

Gandhiji wishes to empower the villagers to support themselves, as well as help them build
resistance to oppression and injustice. The All India Spinner Association, All India Village Industries
Association, Gandhi Ashram at Tiruchungodi, Gandhi Niketan at Kallupatti, Gandhi Gram at Dindigal,
Gandhi Sewa Sadan at Porur (Malawar), and Kasturba Ashram in Trichr, Kerala were among the
significant organizations established to support his ideas. In actuality, Gandhi's restrictive program
grew into significant institutions, while straightforward concepts evolved into philosophies. The
Charka movement and later the All India Khadi a Village Industries Board were the results of his
concentration on Khadi. His ideas against the caste system and untouchability led to the formation of
the Harijan Sewak Sangh and other organizations. Using Gandhi as an example, he produced leaders
like Vinoba Bhave, Nehru, Jayaprakash Narayan, Mira Ben, and others who hailed from common
stock.

However, Gandhi's constructive program was not fully adopted by the majority since the average
person was unable to be impressed by the items manufactured by machines, which were more
attractive and inexpensive than the products made through these programs. According to
academics, industrialization in the nation was the only factor that contributed to the collapse of
Gandhiji's mission.

Baroda Experiment
The first rural reconstruction centre was set up in 1932 and the work commenced in a group of
villages round Kosamba (in Navsari District). The basic idea underlying the rural reconstruction
experiment in the rural areas around Baroda were: "The single outstanding fact in the agricultural
economy of India is that owing to seasonal and other conditions, work on the land is possible only
during a portion of the year. Millions of people are, thus, unemployed over periods of the year
ranging from two to three months in the highly irrigated areas to as much as eight to nine months in
the dry tracts. This long interval of enforced idleness and dreary waiting between crop and crop
leads to evil, economic and moral, which it is unnecessary to describe to those who know village life
in India-the squalor and rivalries, and factions and the litigation which has been described as 'our
second greatest industry.' No lasting improvement can be achieved in the conditions of rural life
unless all sides of it are attacked at the same time; the many sides of it are all so closely
interconnected."

The centre aimed at:

1. Effecting an improvement in all aspects of rural life i. e. changing the outlook of the
agriculturists, the problem being "the development of the desire for a higher standard of living,"

2. To undertake intensive work to release this aim,

3. To develop best type of village leadership; and to undertake the following programme:

a) Economic Programme consisted of:

(i) Development of subsidiary occupation like kitchen gardening, weaving, poultry farming,
sericulture, bee-keeping etc.

(ii) Farm improvements in cotton and other crops

(iii) Co-operative society to inculcate thrift and

(iv) The village panchayats to provide for sanitation, village roads and drinking water supply.

b) Education and Moral Programmes included Adult Education: development of community sense
and of a feeling of solidarity in the village; propaganda against evils like early marriages and
unreasonable customs connected with social observances; the proper use of village libraries; the
scout movement and other educative work through lantern lectures; in short, making village life full
and interesting. The village school should be the centre of all such activities.

The programme of rural reconstruction was to be part of a wider programme for bringing about a
rapid increase in standard of living. Increased agriculture production lay at root of all development.
Therefore, the programme was progressively expanded to cover measures such as provision of
irrigation facilities; conservation of soil; production of nucleus seed; their multiplication and
distribution; education in agriculture and supplementary occupations.

Rural Reconstruction Movement in Baroda State (1932)

This movement was started by V.T. Krishnachari in 1932 in the Baroda state where he was Dewan at
that time. In the first instant its objective was to bring about a rapid increase in standards of living,
industrialization and rapid expansion of the educational system. The second objective was to
increase agricultural production through the provision of basic necessities for the development of
the same. At first, some extension workers were taken on deputation from Dr. Spencer Hatch of
Marthandam.

The first rural reconstruction centre commenced work in April, 1932 in a group of villages around
Kosambain, Navsari district.

After the centre had been at work for a year, the number of villages under it was increased and
Baroda state issued an order explaining the aims of the movement as follows:

The centre should aim at effecting an improvement in all aspects of rural life changing in fact the
outlook of the agriculturist, the target being creating desire for a higher standard of living.

Work intended to realize this aim should be intensive. It should be confined to a group of villages in
which it will be possible for the superintendent and his trained co-workers to establish personal
contact with all the agriculturalists.

Village leadership of the best type should be developed.

The centre should apply itself to the following programmes:

Economic programme:

Subsidiary occupations, kitchen gardening, weaving, poultry farming, silk worm rearing, bee keeping
or any other trade may be found suitable.

In each village, Panchayat should be a live-body discharging its function of providing drinking water,
improving sanitation, building village roads in other words adding to the opportunities of village life.

the opportunities of village life.

Educational and moral programme: This included adult education, development of community sense
and of a feeling of solidarity in the village, propaganda against evils like early marriage and
unreasonable customs connected with social observances, the proper use of village libraries, the
scout movement and other educative work through magic lantern. Village school should be the
centre of such activities.

Method of work:
· Self help

· Dignity of labour, e.g., Shramdan etc.

· Self respect

· Truth and non violence

Etawah- Pilot Project

The idea of starting this project was conceived and born in 1947. It was put into action with
headquarters at Mahewa village about 17 miles from Etawah (U.P.) in September, 1948. First 64
villages, which were then increased to 97, were covered under this project. Lt.col. Albert Mayer
of USA, who came to India with the American forces in 1944, was the originator of this project
for his scheme, assistance was given by USA and UP Government.

Mayer studied all the other projects and form them he came to the conclusion that:

A programme should be based on the need of the people.

This programme should be extended by conducting demonstration and evaluation work.

The programme should include cottage industries development so that subsidiary occupation
could be developed.

A project has to be well organized and planned.

Rural development should take into account all the aspects of the human being. It is not enough
to have a programme for just one class or group of people.

In this project major emphasis was given on increasing agricultural production by the use
of green manure, better seeds, agricultural implements fertilizers, adult education and
reactivation of saline soils.

Characteristics of the scheme:

The extension workers were known as a colleague.

These colleagues met villagers informally and discussed their specific problems.

They kept personal touch and personal contact with them.

Colleagues were educated upto graduate level.

There were counsellors behind colleagues, who guided them in technical aspects.

Objectives: of etawah pilot project

1. To see the extent of improvement possible in an average district.

2. To see how quickly results could be achieved.

3. To ascertain the permanency and applicability of results to other areas.

4. To find out methods of gaining and growing confidence of the villagers.

5. To build up a sense of community living.

6. To build up a spirit of self help in the villagers.

Activities: in etawah pilot project

1. Broadening the mental horizons of the villagers by educative and persuasive approach.

2. Training of village level workers.

3. Co-ordination between Departments and Agencies.

4. Conducting demonstrations.

5. Covered subjects like crop yields, soil conservations, animal husbandry sanitation and social
education.

Nilokheri Project
Shri S.K. Dey later Union Minister for community Development and Cooperatives up to 1965 was
the central figure of this project. It was originally started to rehabilitate 7000 displaced persons
from Pakistan. Later it was integrated with 100 surrounding villages making a rural cum urban
township. The scheme was called as “Mazdoor Manzil”.
Objectives:

1. Rehabilitation of the displaced persons from Pakistan.

2. Self sufficiency for the township in all the essential requirements of life.

Activities:

1. School

2. Agricultural Farm

3. Poly-Technique training centre

4. Dairy

5. Poultry Farm

6. Piggery Farm

7. Horticultural Garden

8. Printing Press

9. Garment Factory

10. Engineering workshop

11. Soap Factory

Rabindranath Tagore’s approach towards rural community development

Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday ’25 Boishak’ is approaching. The nation and the Bangla speaking
people living throughout the globe will celebrate the day in a befitting manner like every other
year. In fact, the degree and extent of the celebration is becoming more pronounced with the
passage of time. Tagore was born on May 7, 1861 in Kolkata. He was a poet, short-story writer,
song composer and musician, playwright, essayist, and painter. Tagore is still regarded as the
most outstanding creative artist of the Bangla literature and culture. He was the first non-
European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. In 1891 he was assigned to manage his
family’s Zamindari estates at Shilaidah, Shazadpur and Patisar. There he came into close contact
with village life and developed his insights about problems of the rural masses that helped him
to formulate his ideas about rural and community development. He realised that the rural
people did not have the power, and nor the capacity to overcome the challenges that they
confront in their everyday lives. Tagore felt the urges to do something for the upliftment of the
rural masses. It laid the foundation of his initiatives to rural development through an integrated
and comprehensive approach based on the principle of co-operation, knowledge and education.
In 1904, in his writing titled ‘Swadeshi Samaj’, Tagore provided the outline of his thoughts on
village development and reconstruction. He mentioned the facts that include rural areas
dissociation of relationship from the wider society; sense of non-existence and alienation from
the society had turned the rural society into a mess. His other writing ‘Palli Samaj’ (Rural Society)
published in 1908; Tagore clearly spelled out his ideas of a comprehensive rural governance
structure called the ‘Palli Samaj’. The structure aimed for a rural community development
programme based on the ideas of the principles of self-help and enlightenment.

After years of work and contemplations, all of them became a reality in 1922 with the start of
the ‘The Sriniketan Experiment’. The Sriniketan experiment had four general programme areas,
agriculture, crafts and industries, village welfare and education. Under each of these
programmes, different activities were designed. There was also emphasis on the application of
modern technologies and use of scientific methods in planning development programme. To
encourage social interchange and cultural activities among the villagers, activities like annual
Sriniketan mela or country fair and folk songs were also planned and organised. Some of the
noteworthy far reaching contributions of Rabindranath’s for rural and community development
could be grouped into a number of areas.

Agriculture development: scientific methods of farming, use of imported improved seeds,

mechanization of farming processes, new crops and crop rotation, use of fertilizers for increased
productivity and introduction of the idea of agricultural extension. His commitment in this area
became evident from the fact that he sent his own son, son-in-law, and also the son of a close
friend to Illinois University in America to study agricultural science and become acquainted with
the modern and improved techniques of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Access to credit: to save the poor farmers from the clutches of the money lenders he took
initiative to establish a 'Krishi Bank' at Shilaidah in 1894. Later on, he established the same in
Patisar in 1905 for access to credit for the poor. In 1927, Visva-Bharati Central Co-operative Bank
was established. It had 236 Agricultural Credit Unions attached to it along with 69 Irrigation
Societies and 12 Health Societies. After winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1913,
Rabindranath invested the money (one lac eighty thousand rupees) in Patishar Krishi Bank in
favour of the Shantiniketan School also established by him. Here it needs to be mentioned that
the bank used to extend credit facilities to the peasants at a cheaper interest (12 percent
interest per annum) rate. It was estimated that a total of two hundred co-operative societies
were established in this area especially for agricultural credit.
Employment generation and revival of cottage industries and crafts: For this purposes, training
centers were set up to restore local industries and crafts such as leather work, tailoring,
carpentry, etc. A separate entity called 'Shilpa Bhaban' was established in 1922 to provide
vocational training to rural craftsmen and training to the students of academic departments of
schools. The cottage Industries for both boys and girls were set up in different villages for
spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing, needlework and basket-making. Here it needs to be
mentioned that economic research and rural surveys were also carried out and reconstruction
and development works were planned on the basis of the survey.

Health services: A medical section was also part of Tagore’s scheme of rural and community
development. This section tried to improve rural sanitation and health conditions by organising
local health societies. Initially maternal and child health was an important components of the
health care services. Rural women were trained to provide such services to mother and children.
Another important innovation was tried by organising co-operative health societies in which
villagers could become members that entitled them to free treatment for some ailments.

Women empowerment: Women’s Association or Mahila Samities were established to play

facilitating roles in economic and social welfare of the community and thereby ensuring women
empowerment. For the development of the youths ‘Youth groups’ were organised in villages to
promote volunteerism and it was recorded that by 1928, there were eight hundred members
organised in thirty centers that were established. The Village Societies also used to settle
disputes by arbitration. For knowledge dissemination, a rural circulating library- the first of its
kind was set up in this part of the sub continent.

Preservation and conservation of nature: It is interesting to note that even during those days
Tagore could perceive the importance of the preservation and conservation of the natural
environment. He introduced an annual tree-plantation ceremony in the sites of his two major
experiments at Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the early 1930s.

Inclusion: Tagore believed in inclusion of all in the development process even in those days. He
formed Dom-Samiti (low caste association) representing Doms in more than 30 different villages
for the improvement of the condition of the excluded classes.

Rabindranath Tagore was a versatile genius. His interests and activities in whatever areas he
ventured into achieved the highest level of excellence. In every area of literary activities
including music and paintings he is also second to none. His contributions in other areas have
been overshadowed by his literary achievements and are less discussed or did not receive their
due attention. The rural and community development is one of those areas. But an analysis of
different initiatives in the above mentioned areas also surpassed others initiatives by miles. In
this particular field he has always been ahead of others in terms of concepts and trying them out
in the real life situation. His concepts and initiatives in areas like agriculture development, access
to credit, employment generation, health services, women empowerment, preservation and
conservation of nature and inclusion are still relevant and in many cases still could not be
achieved yet. Some of them emerged or received global attention after more than half a century
later. Again, many of his concepts and initiatives were taken up by others and in recent times
achieved spectacular successes which led to development of Bangladesh and very recently
catapulting her in the comity of developing nations from that of least developed country.

It is believed that with time, Rabindranath Tagore’s contribution particularly in community and
rural development will receive far greater prominence than what is now today. On the eve of the
birthday of this great literary genius and humanist who made us proud with his outstanding
contributions in every sphere where he left his footprints deserves highest appreciation and
admiration.

Gandhian Approach to Rural Development

In the Indian context rural development may be defined as maximising production in agriculture
and allied activities in the rural areas including development of rural industries with emphasis on
village and cottage industries.

It attaches importance to the generation of maximum possible employment opportunities in

rural areas, especially for the weaker sections of the community so as to enable them to improve
their standard of living.

Provision of certain basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, especially for the productive
purpose, link roads connecting villages to market centres and facilities for health and education
etc. figure prominently in the scheme of rural development.

Theoretically, Gandhian approach to rural development may be labelled as ‘idealist’. It attaches

supreme importance to moral values and gives primacy to moral values over material conditions.
The Gandhians believe that the source of moral values in general lies in religion and Hindu
scriptures like the Upanishads and the Gita, in particular.
The concept of ‘Rama Rajya’ is the basis of Gandhiji’s idea of an ideal social order. Gandhi
defined Rama Rajya as “sovereignty of the people based on moral authority”. He did not view
Rama as a king, and people as his subjects. In the Gandhian scheme, ‘Rama’ stood for God or
one’s own ‘inner voice’ Gandhi believed in a democratic social order in which people are
supreme. Their supremacy is, however, not absolute. It is subject to moral values.

Ideal Village:

The village is the basic unit of the Gandhian ideal social order. Gandhi succinctly pointed out, “If
the village perishes India will perish too…. We have to make a choice between India of the
villages that is as ancient as herself and India of the cities which are a creation of foreign
domination”. Gandhi’s ideal village belongs to the Pre-British period, when Indian villages were
supposed to constitute the federation of self-governing autonomous republics.

According to Gandhiji, this federation will be brought about not by coercion or compulsion but
by the voluntary offer of every village republic to join such a federation. The work of the central
authority will only be to coordinate the work of different village republics and to supervise and
manage things of common interest, as education, basic industries, health, currency, banking etc.

The central authority will have no power to enforce its decisions on village republics except the
moral pressure or power of persuasion. The economic system and transport system introduced
by the British have destroyed the “republican’ character of the villages.

Gandhi, however, admitted that in olden times tyranny and oppression were in fact practised by
feudal chiefs. But, “odds were even”. Today the odds are heavy. It is most demoralising.” In this
way in the Gandhian scheme of things the ancient ‘republic’, an Indian village without tyranny
and exploitation serves as a model unit.

Decentralisation:

Gandhi firmly believes that village republics can be built only through decentralisation of social
and political power. In such a system decision-making power will be vested in the Village
Panchayat rather than in the State and the national capital. The representatives would be
elected by all adults for a fixed period of five years. The elected representatives would constitute
a council, called the Panchayat.

The Panchayat exercises legislative, executive and judicial functions. It would look after
education, health and sanitation of the village. It would be the Panchayats responsibility to
protect and uplift ‘untouchables’ and other poor people. Resources for Gandhian Approach to
managing village affairs would be raised from the villages.

All the conflicts and disputes would be resolved within the village. And as far as possible not a
single case is to be referred to courts outside the village. The Panchayat would play its role in
propagating the importance of moral and spiritual values among the ruralites for bringing about
rural reconstruction.

Apart from managing its own affairs the village would also be capable of defending itself against
any invasion. A non-violent peace brigade of volunteers would be organised to defend the
village. This corps would be different from the usual military formation. They would repose the
utmost faith in non-violence and God.

Self-sufficiency:

Such a decentralised polity implies a decentralised economy. It can be attained only through self-
sufficiency at the village level. The village should be self-sufficient as far as its basic needs – food,
clothing, and other necessities – are concerned. The village has to import certain things which it
cannot produce in the village. “We shall have to produce more of what we can, in order thereby
to obtain in exchange, what we are unable to produce”.

The village should produce food-crops and cotton in order to meet its requirements. Some lands
should also be earmarked for cattle and for a playground for adults and children. If some land is
still available, it should be used for growing useful cash crops like tobacco, opium, etc. to enable
the village to get in exchange things which it does not produce.

Village economy should be planned with a view to providing full employment to all the adults of
the village. Each man should be guaranteed employment to enable him to meet his basic needs
in the village itself so that he is not forced to migrate to towns. In the ultimate analysis full
employment should be linked with equality.

Physical labour occupies a central place in the Gandhian concept of the self-sufficient village. In
this respect he was highly influenced by Rus-kin and Tolstoy. According to Gandhi, each man
must do physical labour to earn his bread. Physical labour is necessary for moral discipline and
for the sound development of the mind. Intellectual labour is only for one’s own satisfaction and
one should not demand payment for it.

The needs of the body must be supplied by the body. Gandhi said, “If all laboured for their bread
then there would be enough food and enough leisure for all.” Shriman Narayan rightly observes,
“Gandhiji recognised toil to be not a curse but the joyful business of life as it has the power to
make man healthier, merrier, fitter and kindlier”.

Industrialization:
Gandhiji maintained that industrialization would help only a few and will lead to concentration
of economic power. Industrialization leads to passive or active exploitation of the villages. It
encourages competition. Large scale production requires marketing. Marketing means profit-
seeking through an exploitative mechanism.

Moreover, industrialization replaces manpower and hence it adds to unemployment. In a

country like India, where millions of labourers in the villages do not get work for even six months
in a year, industrialization will not only increase unemployment but force labourers to migrate to
urban areas. This will ruin villages.

In order to avoid such a catastrophe, village and cottage industries should be revived. They
provide employment to meet the needs of the villagers and facilitate village self-sufficiency.
Gandhians are not against machine per se if it meets two aims: self-sufficiency and full
employment. According to Gandhi, there would be no objection to villagers using even the
modern machines and tools that they could make and could afford to use. Only they should not
be used as a means of exploitation of others.

Trusteeship:

Gandhiji was not against the institution of private property. But he wanted to restrict the right of
private property to what was necessary to yield an honourable livelihood. For the excess he
prescribed the principle of trusteeship.

Gandhiji emphasized the principle of trusteeship in social and economic affairs. He firmly
believed that all social property should be held in trust. The capitalists would take care not only
of themselves but also of others. Some of their surplus wealth would be used for the rest of the
society.

The poor workers, under trusteeship, would consider the capitalists as their benefactors; and
would repose faith in their noble intentions. Gandhiji felt that if such a trusteeship were
established, the welfare of the workers would increase and the clash between the workers and
employers would be avoided. Trusteeship would help considerably “in realising a state of
equality on earth.”

Gandhiji firmly believed that land should not be owned by any individual. Land belongs to God.
Hence, individual ownership of land should be shunned. For that a landowner should be
persuaded to become a trustee of his land. He should be convinced that the land he owns does
not belong to him. Land belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the
community. They are merely trustees. By persuasion the heart of landowners should be changed
and they should be induced to donate their land voluntarily.

If the land owners do not oblige and continue to exploit the poor workers, the latter should
organise non-violent, non- cooperation, civil disobedience struggles against them. Gandhiji
rightly held the view that “no person can amass wealth without the cooperation, willing or
forced, of the people concerned”.

If this knowledge were to penetrate and spread amongst the poor, they would become strong
and learn how to free themselves from the crushing inequalities which have pushed them to the
verge of starvation. But the oppressed should not take recourse to violent methods. In the
Gandhian scheme of things, the principle of cooperation, love and service is most important and
violence has no place in it. Violence is against “moral values’ and civilized society is inconceivable
in the absence of moral values.

Gandhiji’s concept of development is oriented to the uplift of the common man. He preferred
village habitats to megalopolises and Swadeshi craft to imported technology for the economic
well being of the common man. He stressed the need for cottage industries in place of gigantic
industries and advocated for a decentralised economy instead of a centralised one.

He realised the need for integrated rural development and believed that education, health and
vocation should be properly integrated. He emphasised the need for education and training
which he called ‘Naitalim’ (New training) for rural reconstruction.

In fine, Gandhian approach to rural development strives to reconstruct village republics which
would be non-violent, self- governed and self-sufficient so far as the basic necessities of ruralites
are concerned. Apart from creating a new socio-economic order, it Endeavour’s to transform
man; otherwise the changes in the socio-economic order will be short-lived.

conclusion

Like any other development strategy, the Gandhian model has its supporters and detractors. The
Gandhian model, according to its supporters, is the only option for achieving equitable and
sustainable rural development within the current sociocultural and economic circumstances in
India. They contend that the institutions and cooperatives of panchayati raj are still important
today just as they were during Gandhiji's lifetime and that the need of suitable education cannot
be overstated even in the current Indian setting. As a result of India's new economic policy,
which is characterized by privatization, liberalization, and globalization, critics claim that
Gandhiji's ideals of swadeshi, voluntary sacrifice of one's wants, trusteeship, self-sufficient
villages, and the preference for manual labor over machines sound outmoded today. They go on
to say that India had long since abandoned the Gandhian model by embracing a development
strategy focused on economic growth and industrialization, both under the influence of
Jawaharlal Nehru. Gandhiji wanted India to move east, but India chose to journey west, and it is
well known that "the twain never meet," as the saying goes.