Shantiniketan

There are times when you realize - Why on earth am I not taking a vacation? Few characteristic features of such times (and the vacation that obviously follows it) are - there is no elaborate planning, rushed train bookings, quite a lot of internet search for available hotels and payment of almost doubled charges for half the amenities of your lodging. Shantiniketan was one such trip for me.

All you need is a few people who will say a "yes" to your plan (and may be some persuasion) and you are off. Frankly, people who have been to Shantiniketan, will almost always tell you "There is nothing to rush about it". I was no stranger to such beliefs of people, but I had though it was about the planning of the trip. I was so wrong.

Baba, Maa (Tolly-r Maa), Maa (Bolly-r Maa, Mataji - however you want to call her), Molina Mami and of course the co-idea-tor of the trip - Pooja along with me started on a Friday early morning for Howrah station. Apart from being my first trip to Shantiniketan, I was also excited about taking a train journey after almost six years. I was about to relive a part of my growing up years.

I have always been someone who has felt a very strong connection with his roots. Pride has become a habit (although I refrain from jumping on the wrong side of rationality and arrogance). Most of it is to do with the land I have come from. The train journey had some sights which made feel why my tribe has learned to not take pride in the riches of the vault.

I think, the answer is: may be they have found riches in the abundance of the land, of the flowing rivers, of the moist wind that causes rain. Takes care of them and their children everyday. The above sight painted "the" picture in my mind - of the place where I was heading.

Ours was no fixed itinerary with any "must-see" check boxes. A place which was the lovechild of a poet and his very own imagination of how Utopia should be - it would have been a sad irony if it had felt like a rushed out vacation to any of us. We hired two motor-operated rickshaws (called "Toto"s) for our period of stay and (very) limited engine power was just perfect  for the amount of speed we needed for our sight seeing. With all sides open, my personal experience says - if you are not in the middle of a thunderstorm, then it is a far more enjoyable ride than an AC car.
Worshiped like a cultural deity, Rabindranath Tagore can be found in every aspect of Shantinikatan. From architecture to people's weekly routines, from University syllabus (Bishwa Bharati University) to tourist landmarks. From the numerous pieces of art scattered around the town to the tea-stall discussions of the locals and tourists alike. But the fact that struck me the most were the names of the houses. The selection of words from Bengali literature (or just a Bengali dictionary) is so... so... whats the word... yes! Orgasmic. It is so orgasmic.

A very rare blend of history, literature, freedom struggle, education, art and culture, the town is dotted with landmarks and monuments and appeals to one or the other side of you. It always astonishes me how a town (or rather a system) that came into being during the peak of British Raj that not just emphasized, but had the sole purpose of spreading the Indian way of schooling and redefining what is considered as education.

From the very house where Rabindranath Tagore used to live to the university campus. From the banks of Kopai river (and enjoying some hot and spicy "chawp" in its cool breeze) to the Konkali Maa-r Mondir, to the numerous handlooms and art emporiums - the place still holds the simplicity in which its founders had faith.

Yes, overtime, it has attracted the "pretentious" kind of artists and intellectuals. But it has always been an abode of the other kinds of artists and intellectuals as well - the aspiring, the struggling, the rising, the flourishing, the established and the retired kind. But the ground-to-earth humility that it offers undoubtedly touches your heart.

A place that particularly summarized the folk-lifestyle side of Shantiniketan was the Shonajhuri-r Haat. Every Saturday afternoon, the place turns into a handicraft fair which sells everything that you can relate with the rustic "folk Bengal" look in your home. The sellers of this haat (or market) are mostly the artists themselves. Not excluding the signature Dokra form of metal-artistry, the place is an ever evolving place for what an artist with roots in this specific part of the planet, can imagine and give form to - using the locally available resources like wicker, bamboo, fabric, paper. Every piece that you lay your eyes on speaks volume of how sincerely the people around this place are trying to keep their ancestral culture alive.

And how often you get to experience the best possible background music with the situations in your life. The most unique part of this market are the Baaul singers. Singing the most quintessential Bengali folk tunes with the words that speak of denouncing material attachment and elevating into the harmony of co-existence. Tourists, local residents, students even researches cannot help themselves and join in with an instrument of their choice (in my case, it was just claps!). We always talk about the universality of music. Shonajhuri Haat was a place where I realized the truth of it first hand.

The more I saw the place, the people, their lifestyle, the more I was convinced that, like its namesake, peace is indeed the central idea. And when the question comes "how to reach a peaceful state?", the answer appeared to me was "through liberation". Liberation from ignorance, liberation from narrow mindedness, liberation from what is dark and ugly, liberation through education, art, music, self reliance. Shantiniketan gave me a peek of when people say "There is nothing to rush about it", it is not just about planning a weekend trip there. .It is about embracing the pace with which you can achieve fulfillment.

Till next time,

Cheers!