An Indian Infusion: Oct. 5 - To the Opposite...

Nandini had a plan...head out of Kol for the last day of Durja Puja, the night of the 5th, train to one of her favorite places, Santineketan, & then head back to Kol when it was a bit less chaotic! I was all for it...the night of the 4th was rough. I barely slept, even with earplugs, as the music from the pandal increased both in decibel level & frequency of replaying the same loop of songs! So, early Wednesday morning I hopped in a taxi, zoomed to her house & with a couple hours wait at the station, we were ready to take a two hour ride north to the city of Santineketan...small, quiet, simple Santineketan (I saw this sign on the taxi ride towards town...I didn't need to speak Bengali to understand the admonition.)

The Howrah train station is massive!

Talented women efficiently move their items from one train platform to the next!

We spent most of our time in the sitting area of this restaurant...the numbers may be quite small to read...it was very busy all morning...they sell a basic vegetarian breakfast of either rice or noodles w/ vegetables for 10 rupee. (about a quarter US) We chose to not eat here :-) Nandini picked up some sandwiches from a higher end chain of stores that sells biscuits, sweets & small snacks. Remarkably, the full meal wasn't the cheapest thing on the menu. Our early arrival meant the full kitchen staff wasn't in yet, but once the spot was truly open you could buy an aloo "chop" - a potato patty, fried in oil with onions & chilies inside - for 3 rupees ($.06 US)

Santineketan is most famous for being the city in which Tagore began a university & lived for many years. (I could write much about Tagore - I love his poetry. He was a fascinating man for whom the written word was sacred. Here's a succinct biography - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1913/tagore-bio.html
& a slightly longer one which includes links to his art, music & more photos http://www.calcuttaweb.com/tagore/)

The university remains a tourist attraction. Artisans also are attracted to the beauty of the surrounding country side; there are dozens of small shops, several cooperatives which sell the areas specialties - leather, batik, metal work, fabrics & pottery.

It was so wonderful to have quiet again - not just no Puja quiet, but pure, country quiet, dappled shade lanes, with few cars (yes, this is a view from a bicycle rickshaw, though I swore I'd not ride in one again...they are the main mode of transportation in the city.) I think of the relationship between Calcutta & Santi to be like Minneapolis & Duluth. They are about the same distance apart & have much different emotional roots. Many Kolkatans own large weekend homes in the city, which is rapidly spreading around two original villages, leaving visitors to see opposite living arrangements within 100 meters of each other -

Our first day of the three day trip ended after checking into our guest house, walking around the campus at dusk & strolling over to an outdoor spot for tea which holds English practice sessions for whomever wants to attend. I think they would be very interesting to join, but they were not being held due to Puja.