The economic stringency in Santiniketan was removed to some extent from the interest obtained from the money of the Nobel Prize deposited in a bank.The professors quarters and common kitchen of the school were constructed from the royalty of the books written by Rabindranath. But the demand of more money was still prevailing. Rabindranath wrote to Andrews in this respect on 12 Nov,1914;" I know the school financial difficulties are good for us, but I must have strength enough to extract good....The whole Asram must rouse itself from its passive inanity and be ready to meet the danger ,... Even the little boys should not be kept entirely ignorant of our difficulties . They should be proud of the fact that they also bear their own share of the responsibility."
But when the students took some decisions of their own, Rabindranath himself stood in the way of the decision.
Due to the 1st World War (1914-1918) the price of Jute had come down specially in East Bengal. as a result, they had scarcity of rice. There were more students in Santiniketan coming from East Bengal. They had witnessed the sufferings in East Bengal when they went home during Puja Vacation.After coming over here they conveyed a meeting under the chairmanship of Nepal Chandra Roy to form a Relief Fund. This news was published in Modern Review in Dec. under the title, "A Noble Example" which read as;
" The boys of Babu Rabindranath Tagore's school at Bolpur have opened a relief fund. They have invited subscriptions t o their fund, to be sent to Mr. W.W.Pearson, Santiniketan, P.O., In addition to what the boys can personally contribute, they have in a body resolved to save Rs.40 a month not consuming sugar.
This amount will go to the relief fund. By not consuming Ghee for three months they will be able to contribute Rs.500 to their relief fund."
Having read this news Rabindranath wrote to Andrews from Agra on 5th Dec;
"I am surprised to read to read in the Modern Review that our Bolpur boys are going without sugar and ghee in order to open a relief fund. Do you think this is right?"
The same thing he wrote to Nagendranath from Allahabad on 16 Dec.;
" From the Paper I came to learn that our boys have given up to take sugar and ghee for their relief fund. This is just a carbon copy of foreign student. But this is very easy. It is to be remembered that the boys are not independent about their food. Which one they can give up and which not that they cannot decide. If they decide that they will stop reading and stop buying books. The money collected from that fund they will donate. Are they eligible to do that. No, they are not. Rather they can save money by donating their labour in digging ponds, wells , constructing roads, bridges and can donate the amount."
The boys then did that as per advice of Rabindranath and sent the money saved.
