On February 17, 1915, Mahatma Gandhi visited Shantiniketan in the Birbhum district of West Bengal for the first time. It was during this visit that Gandhi had his first meeting with the renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore on March 6, 1915. The meeting at Shantiniketan intrigued Gandhi, and he suggested some changes in its functioning. Gandhi envisioned that students at Shantiniketan should not only focus on academics but also engage in practical work. He advised against the need for hiring labor for small tasks and, as a result, the Self-Help Movement began at Shantiniketan on March 10, 1915. Notably, Shantiniketan is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, recognized as India’s 41st heritage site according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
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