SHANTINIKETAN- A COMPLETE HOLIDAY DESTINATION by Ajoy Dasgupta

 




The name Shantiniketan conjures up an image of music, art, dance, folklore,  handicraft ...just about everything nice. 

It is 4 hours by road and 3 hours by train from Kolkata ( fittingly named Shantiniketan Express,  Bolpur Express,  Kaviguru Express).  The recent addition of Vande Bharat train has further reduced commute time. 

How did Shantiniketan emerge as an university town? ( say like Manipal or Pilani) Ah, therein lies a tale!  The ( Singha) Sinha family,  moved from Ayodhya,  were the zamindars of the area namely Bolpur region ( in Birbhum district) Birbhum is a semi-arid tribal district,  approximately 160 km North West of Kolkata.  Bolpur sub-region is largely a rural area with marginal cultivation ( Nearby river Ajay is largely seasonal and the soil was reddish and loamy , not of the fertile alluvial variety.





Devendranath Tagore once visited,  saw a large tree and surrounding greenery and fell in love with the place as a meditation site. The place was then sold to him for a token amount ( some say one rupee) and thus was born the seedling of Shantiniketan cultural center,  largely conceived and developed by his illustrateous son Rabindranath Tagore.( year 1901)


Today it's a full fledged,  sprawling central university under UGC. The focus is however on culture, music and arts.


Shantiniketan is now an UNESCO world heritage site.


For instance , noted artists like Jamini Roy and sculptors like Ramkinkar Baij made Shantiniketan their base. A degree in music from Shantiniketan university is highly coveted. Fun fact: Indira Gandhi did a degree from Shantiniketan University.



Just not Rabindra Sangeet, Shantiniketan has an all pervading whiff of Baul music and Baul streetside musicians. Lyrics are simple and musical instruments simpler. Similar in genre to Sufi music in Pakistan and Lalon ministrel music in Bangladesh. Everywhere one goes in Shantiniketan,  one gets to see the Baul ministrels playing music. 



A third kind of music and accompanying slow shuffle dance is by the local Santhal tribals...by men and women. 


This all pervading aroma of music is very unique and distinctive. The nearest equivalent I can think of is the whiff of Mozart's music everywhere in Salzburg. 


But this is not all. There are many more attractions in Shantiniketan 






There is an open air culture village, showcasing different forms of Indian craft, art and decor.


Rabindranath's sprawling mansion complex is now a very. well laid-out museum. 





The village markets ( haats) are must-visit places with handicrafts,  bed linens,  bags, home decor items,  kantha stitch sarees,  dupattas , kurtis and handbags. These are produced in nearby villages and are sold at amazingly low prices.  Designs are such that women can't resist a buying splurge!


Local products like ghee, honey,  govindo-bhog rice are highly sought after. 


Shantiniketan is the playground of Bengali bhadrolok upper class.  Apart from Lord Sinha ( first Indian advocate general)and the Tagore family,  you can sneak peek at Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's sprawling mansion. .  Another Nobel  laureate couple Abhijit Banerjee and his wife Esther Duflo Banerjee may be seen during their frequent escapades to Shantiniketan. 


Last but not least Shantiniketan is a food lover's paradise, especially of the exotic Bengali variety. Imagine being served a multi-course meal in a large,  kansa (bronze) thali

( Try 'Bonobithir Hensel' restaurant)





Erstwhile rajbaris ( jamindari mansions), now crumbling, are an attraction too, especially when laced with delicious supernatural and ghost stories. 



The unique silvery stem Sonajhuri forests ( a variety of Eucalyptus) are very popular for Bengali movies/OTTs and pre-wedding shoots.


Then there is the famous Kankalitala temple which is one of the Shaktipeeth temples in India 


Oh yes,  a honorable mention must be made of the newly and very artistically done-up Bolpur ( Shantiniketan) railway station...complete with Tagore murals and poetry. 


All in all,  a complete holiday  destination...even if you are not a Nobel winning economist!

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