Welcome suave readers. Here I am with my new blog. 

Last weekend, I went to Shantiniketan at Bolpur, the town still engrossed with creations of one of the greatest poets, storytellers, painters, lyricists, and many more versatile talents Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The city is quiet and full of greenery. I stayed in a holiday room amid nature. 

Just beside the holiday home, there is a deer park. The park is a nice place to spend some quality time. The heart of Shantiniketan is Biswabharati University, moulding young minds. A three-wheeler was booked to visit in and around Shantiniketan. Our day started early with a visit to Kankalitala, believed to be one of the Saktipiths. It is thought that the skeletal of Goddess Sati fell in this place. The temple is located beside a river, named Kopai. At this early hour, devotees throng in the temple. Folk dancers from nearby villages arrived, they were showcasing their traditional folk dance. A few ascetics were there on the temple premises. One old saint came forward and blessed us. 

Our next stop was to a nature park. It has a collection of busts of wood and metal. The money collected from selling tickets is used for the education of adibasi girls by the nature park authority. 

There are several markets in the town, where vendors sell garments, handicrafts, earthen clay, and other things. In every market area, you will find folk singers singing age-old songs. In one market, a stage is set for such cultural performances. An old singer made me sit by his side and sang three songs. Every day they sing a song like this. They earn little in comparison to their talent but they always wear a smile on their face. Women from villages come to this market to showcase their traditional dance. Visitors join them in dance. 

The most famous market is Sonajhuri Hat. The market is set in the open clearing within groves. The market was traditionally used to sit on Saturdays. Now as number of tourists increased, it took place four days in a week. When we reached the market place, its drizzling. Rain stopped little after and market was deemed with visiters. We shopped a little bit from the market, rates are truly reasonable. 

The tour provides me welcome respite from daily routine. It also bought me closer to nature. Shantiniketan is a celebration of life.