Cut to the present. It's still serene and tranquil. But signs of rapid urbanisation and decay are visible everywhere. "Tagore built his university in Shantiniketan so that students and faculty members could develop a conscious rapport with nature. Unfortunately, it has become an uncouth urban mess," says Supriya Thakur, a scion of the Tagore clan.

New and old: Sonar Taree (top), a new housing complex named after the famous Tagore poem, and a Baul folk singer practising his art

He's right. But the changing skyline is only a physical manifestation of the distance Shantiniketan has travelled from the values of its founder. The bigger story surrounding Tagore's legacy is about the atrophy at Visva-Bharati University. "Very disturbing and worrying," is how Thakur describes it. True. The unthinkable has happened: a former Vice Chancellor has been arrested on fraud charges; and Tagore's Nobel Medallion and citation, stolen from the Visva-Bharati Museum on March 24, 2004, has still not been recovered. And rumours about the theft being an inside job refuse to die. "I, and others like me, object to the rampant politicisation of the faculty, to Visva-Bharati's new-found fondness for various science streams and to the excessive degree orientation among students," says Thakur.

Adds Vice Chancellor Sujit Basu: "Gurudev (Tagore) himself said in 1925 that Visva-Bharati should impart training and education that helps domestic industry grow." The VC candidly admits that the state of affairs at the university can do with some improvement. "There was no finance officer and no registrar till recently and three directors' posts were lying vacant for years. The rulebook was thrown to the winds and all decisions were taken on an ad hoc basis. This naturally led to anarchy and financial mismanagement," he says, adding: "However, we are now trying to streamline procedures." Basu also admits that a section of university staff (including some at high levels) and students make money by manipulating admissions, recruitments, purchases and awards of contracts. "We will take all necessary action soon," he says.

Abode of peace? Even as classes continue under trees (top) and the meditation room or Upasana Griha is much in use, there is a sense of disquiet

A priority for the authorities is to restore the residential status of the university. Its hostels can accommodate only 1,500 out of its 6,500 students. The requirement: 50 new hostels. "Cultural conflicts are bound to take place when students staying on campus-and following a particular set of values-come into contact with students living outside. This is not desirable," says the VC.

Meanwhile, real estate developers, who are marketing Shantiniketan as a "second home destination", are at pains to defend themselves. "Several famous authors, painters, musicians and other artistes have bought these houses; they only add to the cultural richness of the place," says K.S. Bagchi, Managing Director, Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company, which has built the Sonar Taree (named after a famous Tagore poem) housing complex.

"Urbanisation is inevitable. Tagore himself built some of these buildings. So, arguments against new developments do not hold good" Sujit Basu VC/Shantiniketan

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who is the local mp and also Chairman of the Sriniketan Shantiniketan Development Authority (SSDA), is standing solidly behind the development activities. Says Chatterjee: "The development, which has taken place in Bolpur and Shantiniketan over the last couple of years, has to be seen to be believed. Only a handful of people are opposing it, by taking recourse to falsehood. Election results prove that people support these development works or urbanisation or whatever name you may give it to. We will continue to fulfil people's aspirations." The Visva-Bharati agrees. "Tagore himself built several concrete buildings, including Uttarayan on Khoai. So, arguments against the present development works do not hold good," says the VC.

It's an old debate, really. And it's also one of those issues that doesn't have a clearly defined right answer. But unless we can come up with one that satisfies all sides-and all of them are right from their own perspective-the country will be the poorer from the loss of a unique cultural legacy.