Kolkata to get hub on Tagore

To integrate science, philosophy and culture, a hub dedicated to spread Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's interpretations of philosophy of science will open June 19 here at Bose Institute, physicist Bikash Sinha said here Tuesday.

The Tagore Centre for Natural Sciences and Philosophy (TCNSP) is a collaborative venture between the Centre for Natural Sciences and Philosophy, Kolkata, and the Bose Institute.

"We are seeking to reinvent Tagore as a natural scientist and not as a philosopher. People know him as a poet and philosopher," said Sinha, who will be the chairperson of TCNSP.

As part of the endeavour, four schools will be set up. The School of Natural Sciences, School of Philosophy and Science, School of Science and Culture and School of International Collaboration and Cooperation will have specific courses and curriculum.

These will include conferences, seminars, lectures by international experts and will also examine the association between Tagore and scientist J.C. Bose.

One of the primary objectives of TCNSP will be translating Tagore's 'Visva Parichay' (containing the bard's reflections on his understanding of science), Sinha added. A long-term target is to introduce the book in the school curriculum.

"'Visva Parichay' was written by Tagore in 1937 and we will update it to the 21st century. I and Sushanta Duttagupta, vice chancellor of Visva Bharati University, will translate it into English," said Sinha.

The project is being funded largely by private sources and "charitable trusts abroad" as the central government has not sanctioned any capital for it.

"The government has not given us any money, despite promising to do so. I am hopeful to get funds from the Department of Science an Technology," Sinha said.

To ensure participation of school children, educational kits will be distributed to make the subject "more attractive".

"We will start off with Bengal and expand later. We plan to introduce a subject for university students also," Sinha said.

The organisation will operate out of two rooms from Bose Institute initially and will have international collaborators like Oxford University, Cambridge University and King's College London.

Einstein Bhavan of Visva Bharatti University will also "collaborate intimately".

"We hope students from abroad will attend. Global research on Tagore will be brought to the institute as well," added Sinha.

West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan will lay the foundation stone of TCNSP June 19.