Read the following passage and answer the questions given below: Santiniketan…

2024

Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:

Santiniketan attempted to produce a culture, which was Bengali/Indian in its construction and approach yet significant to the modern world. In 1912, Rabindranath established an institution called Ashram-Sammilani. It was a body of elected students with teachers in-charge to look after the functioning of the school. Students' Unions are primarily concerned with student interest; they—or any other union, for that matter—are formed to protect their rights against the authority's misuse of power. There was a court run by the elected student body. Whenever there was a complaint of any serious offence, the court had its session with the accused in some quiet place after dinner. The Sammilani met twice a month—once on new-moon nights, the other on full-moon nights. During Rabindranath’s long stay at Silaidaha among the villagers he realised that only self-sufficiency, self-rule and self-respect could free our rural population from their weakness, poverty and sense of inferiority; that it was society that should rule, not the state imported from Europe. Sriniketan-Visva-Bharati’s rural development/reconstruction programme started in 1922. Rabindranath applied the principles of the co-operative movement to Sriniketan; and as we know he applied it everywhere—equal respect for everybody, equal participation, equal distribution of material and spiritual wealth.

Main aim of Santiniketan can be stated as :

  1. A.

    To spread the culture of Kolkata

  2. B.

    To completely ignore the western influences

  3. C.

    To emphasize on a culture that was Bengali/Indian yet significant to the modern world

  4. D.

    To focus only on the traditional folk culture

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

The passage explicitly states in the first sentence that Santiniketan attempted to produce a culture which was Bengali/Indian yet significant to the modern world. This statement directly answers the question regarding the main aim of Santiniketan.

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