Shantiniketan

I've always been attracted to this little traditional educational hub, pride of the Bengalis, tucked safely in the lap of nature at Shantiniketan, Bolpur. 

You hear rumours about these typical Goa plans which keep getting cancelled? Well, I had such plans for my trip to Shantiniketan throughout the three years of my graduation. Call me crazy, or call it the connection of sharing the birthday with Rabindranath Tagore.

Anyway. Guess when that plan finally succeeded! Towards the end of the first lockdown. 

I had finally managed to fly to my hometown after spending the first seven months of the lockdown in Delhi. And in the month of February I finally got to live my dream trip! 

If I had to sum up the experience, "it was blissful".

Of course, nobody told us about the whole University campus being closed and off-limits for tourists, due to Covid. But may be that was just a way of the Universe's conspiracy to get me to revisit.

We did take a tour of the perimeter though. The campus is humongous. Huge playgrounds. Of not just the conventional sports like Cricket and Football. But there were separate grounds for Basketball and Volleyball as well! Different acad blocks for the different specialisations were scattered over the whole area of Shantiniketan.

Though we didn't get to see the famous grounds of Poush Mela, the other sites of traditional importance and natural beauty made our trip a feel-good one. We visited Srijani Shilpagram - a place that showcases model homes of the traditional times, the handicrafts and lifestyle of the Eastern and North-eastern states of India.

There was absolutely no chance that we could miss out on the famous Sonajhuri Haat! I kept going back to that place for three consecutive days, out of the four days that we stayed there. Picked a handful lot of handmade jewellery that's a speciality of the place. And I must tell you, I gave quite a fight to the aunties who were trying to snatch away a piece I had picked up for my Mom!

Last but not the least, rather the best part of this trip - where we stayed!

Introducing - The Garden Bungalow.

Two buildings looking like the traditional Zamindari Bungalows adorning an expanse of a 3 acre garden. It is not just the majestic look but also the natural beauty around it, the gravelled walkways, the peaceful environment after Sundown, the organic farming - basically everything you lay your eyes on that captivates your soul at that place.

To top off the experience, we got served some amazing breakfasts and dinners! We started our days with Luchi & Aloor Dom, and ended them with Rice and Kochi Pathar Jhol (God! The taste still lingers on...)

What more can a Bengali ask for, right?

P.S.: For more visual delights like a video of the locals performing folk dance and tourists joining in, do visit my Instagram profile! ;)