The word ‘Shantiniketan’ has been formed by two Bengali words shanti which means ‘peace’ and niketan, means ‘abode’. The town Shantiniketan is about 3 km from Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal. World famous poet Rabindranath Tagore founded a school here in the year 1901. Later it has developed into the Visva Bharati University. Visva means ‘world’ and bharati means ‘speech’. So Visva Bharati means the ‘speech of world’. Tagore wanted to spread the speech throughout the world from this institution.

Rabindranath Tagore got Noble Prize for his famous book of verses Gitanjali in the year 1913. In 1915 he was awarded knighthood by the British, but he renunciated the award in 1919 as a protest against the Jalianwallabagh massacre.

Rabindranath Tagore came to Bolpur after his thread ceremony. In those days Bolpur was not a grown city. Very few people resided here; the roads were uneven with enough of red soil. The places were rich in wild grasses, wild dates, etc. Some places were full of catkins. Cows used to graze in the unmetalled roads.

There were only two large sheemul trees with digitate leaves; underneath the trees were the dwelling places of the dacoits. Many tired travellers lost either their lives or money to these criminals while taking rest under these trees.

Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore once took shelter under these trees on the way back home from a party. He accepted the gift of this landed property from Sinhas of Raipur. The Maharishi made a simple house and planted large number of trees on this deserted land. Occasionally, he dropped here to spend some days. He practised meditation under these sheemul trees after sunset. In those days the scenic beauty of this place was beyond description. The place was completely isolated, nothing else was there. As the place was calm and quiet it was ideal for meditation.

At his young age Tagore made up his mind to establish a school in this desolate place. He wanted his father’s permission. Maharishi Debendranath gave consent to it cheerfully. Those days the bullock carts were the only transport. The Santhal people resided here. Cultivation was their occupation. The school started with a few students. They did not have to pay tuition fees and were offered free food.

Tagore got the title ‘Gurudev’ from the Ashramine. He had to face many difficulties to maintain the expenditure of the students. Tagore wanted the students to learn from nature and the environment of Shantiniketan. Nature brought them up like a mother.

Today Shantiniketan is a small peaceful town and it is worthy of a visit if a person has specific interest in art, culture and the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore. There are colleges of science, teacher’s training, Sanskrit, philosophy, art and crafts, music and dance. The university also runs community-based programmes for the advancement of agriculture, cottage industries and chronicles.

Sriniketan was started to revitalize traditional crafts, Kantha embroidery. Shantiniketani bags and chappals are a beauty in themselves. There is a museum and art gallery within the Uttarayan complex where Rabindranath used to live. They are open from 10:30 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 4:30 pm from Monday to Thursday. (In Tuesdays it is open only in the morning hours.) The university is open to all the visitors in the afternoons.

Several festivals are celebrated at Shantiniketan every year. The Varsha-Mangal (varsha means rains), Paush Mela (annual fair), Vasantasabha (Vasnata means spring). One has to take prior permission from the public relations officer for taking photographs within the university campus. In the ashram of Shantiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore wrote three songs for his grand daughter Nandini. The students of Shantiniketan act in dance dramas of Tagore during the festivals. Tagore himself directed many dance-dramas while touring Assam and North Bengal in the year 1938.

There is an International Guest House which is run by the Visva Bharati University. It has cheap accommodation and meals. There are also university guest houses for long stay students. There is also Shantiniketan Lodge offering good accommodation. Chhuti Holiday + Resort is an exclusive spot of the city.

Tusharkana Banerjee