Victor Alexander George Robert Lytton [1876 - 1947], 3rd Governor of Bengal came to visit Santiniketan . But Bidhushekhar Sashtri and others, supporters of Non-cooperation movement launched by Gandhi, was not agreeable to remain present at the welcome address of Lord Lytton. The biographer of Rabindranath wrote;
" His Excellency, the Governor of Bengal , has visted us. Great excitement, but no eyewash by order of the Poet and Elmhirst, both wanting him to see things as they are.
There was no trumphal arch, only the Boy Scouts were drawn up at the gate and the gardener stationed with an offering of vegetables. It was noon , when his excellency arrived, so Elmhirst brought him straight to the housetop for a wash-up.
Chowkaddars stood at attention the length of the way to Santiniketan; the ruts in road had been hastily levelled by order of an unctuous office-seeker. The Poet received under the mango trees, the ground alpoonad in a gorgeous design . There were songs and sweets and pleasant chatter."
As because Rabindranath and Elmhirst did not go in the way of the Government's assistance , the reconstruction plan of Surul got sufficient govt. aid to its programme.
