This paper attempts to explicate the ways in which three important Indian thinkers- Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, and Krishnamurti understand the holistic development of a child. These thinkers become even more important in light of the fact that with periodic changes in the education policies of the state, and the changing view of how a child’s development in school is visualised, the thoughts of these thinkers have, in a sense, remained eternal and have continued to inspire schools and find expression. Their (...) ideas present to us very unique and refreshing ways of looking at childhood and the role of the school. Rather than moving from the theoretical ideas presented by these thinkers to their pedagogical implications, the discussion in the paper would proceed from describing the practices in these schools and then explaining their theoretical bases. The primary focus in the paper is on the holistic development of a child’s personality and re-thinking assessment practices in school. (shrink)