Rabindranth wrote, "starting the school at Bolpur was an endeavour to take education in our own hands and make it as indiginous as possible". Describing his father's struggle, Rathindranath wrote , "very few realised the struggle with which father had to carry on his educational experiment in Santiniketan. When the school was established he had difficulty in getting pupils and those who came were mostly of difficult type. The people looked down upon the institution and ridiculed father's attempt to introduce new ideas in education... Considered from a worldly point of view it was foolhardy of father to have launched into this misadventure when he hardly had enough to support himself and his family and was actually in debt over the failure of the Kushtia business when he had to dispose of everything he possessed including the jewellery belonging to my mother.'Rabindranath wrote that the determination of establishing a school at Santiniketan was resounding in his mind. During conversation he described the future of the bright picture in front of them.One day Satish came and wanted to offer himself before Rabindranath for Santiniketan. At first Rabindranath was not agreeable to appoint Satish because financial condition of Satish was not good. After passing B.A. examination he had to earn for his family. He was married in an early age following the old custom. But he wanted to join the Ashram before passing the B.A. examination so that he had not to bear the family burden. Rabindranath allowed him to join the Ashram just when Manorajan Bandyopadhyay left the school. Though Satish was not in favour of accepting salary, Rabindranath, secretly, used to send to his father a suitable amount as stiphend.
Brahmabandhab called Rabindranmath, the head of the Ashram, as Gurudev but it was Satish made the term popular and gave it a lively meaning. He wrote a letter to his friend, Ajitkumar, dated nil,
" the creativity of Rabindranath like that of nature. What beautiful scenery in this remote village through the rows of Saal trees I observe, I could perceive the heart felt essay of Rabindranath. Do you know why I called him Gurudev ? ....... I tried to call him this and that but the word Gurudev only suits him."
Rabindranath also felt Satish as god gifted. He wrote to Brajendra Kishore a long letter on 21 March, 2003,
" God is making my job successful uncalled for.I become astonished to think that a person earns only Rs.150/- a month as a teacher, maintains his family in a rented house at Calcutta and comes to Bolpur to donate Rs.1000/- to me. It is god who does His duty in the world through a negligible person just to publicise His worth. From that day I began to work myself in the name of gad throwing the bag of begging. Formerly I became afraid how I shall meet up the expenditure but now i leave everything upon the almighty god. I have constructed another room for the students and appointed an Englishman to teach English. I'm constructing a big room like an workshop because one my friend expressed his willingness to donate one engine and other equipments . I don't know how i spend so much money. God will make good of my deficit."
He wrote to Dinesh Chandra Sen that he was worried as he was not able to watch the method of teaching of the English tutor . He was sure that the teacher was not Lorence because he knew the method of their teaching.
He was the first European teacher appointed in Santiniketan.
