Wednesday, December 1, 2010

There's shanti at Shantiniketan

Looking back at Shantiniketan, after all these years, I can still feel shanti....
Visva Bharati, University founded by Rabindranath Tagore is in Shantiniketan, India.

I had been there several times, trying to get into the Art College of Visva Bharati.
It's an amazing place......almost like fairy tale.....


                                                                One of the Art School Buildings.

One of the many unique features of this peaceful land__
there is no street lighting on the roads. And there are no accidents.........I don't how and why??? No one is hurry to go any where or do anything. Everyone is relaxed and is at peace. Everything gets done as it should be.
I had met Americans studying at Visva Bharati. They had no complaints.
The library had no chairs to sit on. Everyone, including the professors would sit on the floor, put their books on low rise tables and study.


This is a classroom of one the primary schools at Visva Bharati.
The teacher sits on the wooden high rise.
Students sit on the ground.

Want to be part of the nature and study.......???
This is the place.


Everyone takes off their shoes and sandals, at the main entrance of any school or college buildings. They are never stolen even when there's no security.

It gets very hot during the summer.....all businesses and classes begin at 7:00am and end at 11:00am. During this time, not one single shop will remain open. Life begins again from 5:00pm and continue till 11:00pm including classes of schools, and colleges.



                                                    
                                                                                  Visva Bharati.

I came to know.......
Rabindranath was on his way and had to stop, as it was prayer time. His carriage stopped at Shantiniketan. Rabindranath got out, prayed and as he prayed, he felt peace/shanti. And from then on, he decided to build his University at Shantiniketan. :)))

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali, just as I am. And I can kiss the ground he walked on.
He was the first literary figure in Asia, to win Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913.
By the way, he turned down Knighthood........ooops......

This is true........one feels peace/shanti at Shantiniketan.



The pictures were taken by my friend Mrinalini, while visiting Shantiniketan, India, in November 2010


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