Design Movement in Tagore’s Santiniketan: Alpana-An Experiment in Aestheticism

Design movement in Tagore’s santiniketan by Swati Ghosh chronicles the evolution of hand-drawn designs across nations, cultures and time. It narrates the journey of Bengali traditional alpanas—from a folk art to a symbol of cultural identity, from a medium of aesthetic expression to a medium of learning, in santiniketan, under the great masters. Set in a rich cultural landscape and a colourful art and craft Panorama, this book also documents Rabindranath Tagore constructive effort in successfully bringing about a cultural regeneration through education in art and craft in India after independence. The photographs and the hand-drawn sketches by the author attest to an aesthetic heritage which is as old as human civilisation itself.

Swati Ghosh

Swati Ghosh (1964) is the author of numerous articles and is an expert in translation and transcription. She completed her master’s degree in English literature from Visva Bharati and also worked as Research Assistant in the Rabindra Bhavana Photo Archives. She has at least four published works of essays and translations in Bengali to her credit.