I have been thinking of sharing my experiences of the trips to Shantiniketan, with all of you. When I visited Shantiniketan for the very first time, I studied in Class Five. Though I remember bits and pieces of that trip quite vividly, I think I should write about my first trip to Shantiniketan as an adult. The year was 2000. The month was July. A group of five friends made a plan to visit Shantiniketan. I was one of those five. Some of us were into our first jobs after the completion of our graduations. Some were doing post-graduations. We had started to enjoy the first taste of freedom and planned to leave Kolkata on a Friday and return on the Sunday.
I am reminded of my own visit to Shantiniketan. We travelled by train from Kolkata. Shantiniketan is famous for its Holi celebrations. It was a great experience. I have read your posts on Indusladies.You write very well.:idea
We were waiting for our graduation results. A close friend of mine suggested to visit Shantiniketan along with her parents to celebrate Bengali New Year. I grabbed the opportunity and persuaded my parents to let me go. We took Shantiniketan Express from Howrah and reached Bolpur at around 1 p.m. The dry, hot air scorched our faces but we enjoyed the rickshaw ride to our guest house as we viewed the red earthed rough terrain. We stayed in a beautiful white and blue house in Purba Palli named Aparajita. In the evening we headed for Upasana Griha (Prayer Room) where a small function would be held to bid farewell to the old year. The Upasana Griha is a beautiful structure made of coloured glasses. As we approached it a beautiful sight greeted us. The entire place was decorated with burning candles. The soft light of the candles rendered a different hue to the coloured glasses. The trees swayed in the cool evening breeze. We could hear Rabindrasangeet that was being sung there.
Bogged down by work I thought a short trip to Shantiniketan would lend me a fresh lease of energy. I got accommodation reserved in Bolpur Lodge and accompanied by my parents set off on a sunny Friday. We spent that evening roaming in the University campus and viewed all the important buildings like Kalabhavan, China Bhavan, Upasana Griha (Prayer Room) and Chhatimtala. We also viewed the numerous sculptures of Ramkinkar Baiz which are placed in open spaces inside the campus. Next day we hired a car and started quite early. First we visited the Deer Park. We saw a few deer and peacocks. Then we went to visit Kankalitala. It is a Kali temple located on the bank of river Kopai and is a sacred Satipitha. We offered our prayers there. From there we could view the river and Khoyai. Khoyai is a typical wave-like landscape formed by the river by cutting the rugged terrain. It is a beautiful landscape extending to the horizons in waves. From Khoyai we came Back to the University and visited the the Uttarayan Complex which comprises of five buildings. The museum at Rabindra Bhavan enchanted us with its historical documents and relics.
The place was crowded but a strange silence prevailed. None of the people present there spoke. We sat on the stairs, listening to lovely songs being sung by the students of the University. The light filtering through the coloured glasses, the burning candles, sweet scent of blooming jasmines and the music created a surreal beauty. We sat there motionless soaking in the beauty with all our senses. That entire night it rained heavily. Next day we saw a different beauty of the red land. The downpour had freshened the trees and flowery shrubs and they danced in the morning breeze. Small red poodles were formed in the path. Everything felt beautiful. The weather had cooled down suddenly and become very pleasant. In the evening we visited the University campus. The students of Patha Bhavan presented a portion of the musical drama “Chandalika” to usher in the New Year. Their enthusiastic performance was applauded by the entire audience. The next day we returned to Kolkata. Thus our short trip ended but the memory of it is still etched in my mind.
