Shantiniketan, just the other name for art and culture. A place where the art and culture of the entire country meet with modernism. There is one particular thing about Shantiniketan that adds a special essence to the entire place. The essence of the philosophies by Rabindranath Thakur is suffused in the environment. Proving the accuracy of its name Shantiniketan is the ‘abode of peace’.
Maharishi Debendranath Thakur founded this hub of literature and culture. When he first stepped his foot in the red soils of Birbhum district in Bengal, little did he imagine that such a monumental work of art will be created in the coming ages. Shantiniketan is located in Bolpur.
The air is stuffed with the aroma of the red soil, the trees here form a vista of enchantment, the flowers spread an alcoholic madness, the sounds of the beats of drums from a tribal dance performance fills the sky with bewitching guile. Life here is very much different from the mainstream city or even a bucolic culture. With the intricate designs on the walls of the streets or the vastness of the Kopai river flowing unchecked, nature has proffered all its opulence in this land of a free soul.
What is Shantiniketan famous for?
Shantiniketan is not a place! It is an abode, - an abode for the souls who are in search of themselves in this world of speeding and hustle! Perhaps it is a place that can be best described by the paintings of a poet. Isn’t a poem, a painting by itself? Anyways moving to what this place is best known for, there is only a unanimous answer – Vishva Bharati University!
Shantiniketan is a unique abode of learning! Unlike the other major city colleges in the country, this college in the interiors of Bengal is a wonder in itself. It holds a prestigious record of alumni, from Satyajit Ray to Amartya Sen, it has many fancy fables of alumni to flaunt. Keeping aside the alumni portion, if we solely dedicate our focus to the cultural development of a student in the air of Vishva Bharati, it is beyond one’s apprehension.
Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Thakur, founded this University. He did not want to restrict the young minds and the creative brains just within the four walls of the educational institutions. Instead, he visioned for a University where a student will receive not only educational growth but also growth as a creative individual.
In recent years a range of eco-resorts have developed in the region and the eco-tourism industry has flourished considerably in the region. The smell of the red soil drenched in the streams of the Kopai river, the Polash flowers creeping up the walls of the streets, the simple bucolic lifestyle of the people there and a break from the hustle culture of the city, if you want all of this together then a trip to Shantiniketan is highly recommended to you! You will only discover yourself if you let yourself lose in the arms of nature and Nature is waiting for you at Shantiniketan! Embrace it.