Education and the Treasure of Tranquillity: Reconsidering Language, Civilization, and Liberation

Udaya Narayana Singh

Click to download a resource pack with adaptable activities for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, language learning, and self/community learning.

This presentation examines the relationship between education and tranquillity within Indian philosophical, linguistic, and literary traditions. Beginning with the semantic field of “tranquillity” in Sanskrit and Bangla, the paper interrogates the assumption that education functions primarily as a sedative force that imposes social order. It then considers Rabindranath Tagore’s critique of colonial education, his distinction between śikṣā and vidyā, and his reflections on civilizational transition. Tagore’s poetic explorations of peace are analysed to illustrate the difference between ordinary psychological calm and a more profound existential tranquility. Finally, the Upanishadic concept of Bhūmā—the plenitude beyond mind and speech—is presented as a philosophical horizon for reimagining education as liberation rather than sedation. By synthesizing linguistic analysis, philosophical traditions, and Tagorean thought, the essay argues that the true aim of education is not merely to tame social chaos but to cultivate inner freedom, ethical discernment, and a capacious sense of truth.