It’s now about three weeks that I am back from Santiniketan
in Bolpur and no wonder that I am not feeling good about it. Staying there
weeklong has been a sweet experience, a rare sweet experience amidst all the
not so sweet experiences of late. I landed up in Bolpur to survey a set of
respondents for my research. Earlier I have been to the place once, guided by a
real bright talent of Visvabharati University
(not belonging to the mass communication fraternity). Things were more hectic
last time with the scorching heat of the summer months and a pilot study which
was to be completed in tight schedule. A final study was due and I went there
with a week in hand to complete the work. The student of Visvabharati
University could not make it this time as his period of study has ended few
months back and he was back home. However, I was lucky to get two new contacts.
These two new contacts eased up my initial anxiety as the local population
gradually cooperated with me. People in Bolpur are different and I could sense
that I am in august company. The rickshaw puller who took me to the hotel on
Bhubhandanga sounded quite knowledgeable. Bolpur is not the epitome of
materialistic accomplishment; it is the embodiment of simple inner happiness.
One of my local contacts, a busy and jovial journalist, made a prior booking of
the hotel. I paid the advance and got the key to my room. I cleaned myself, had
my lunch and talked to the journalist over phone. He was in between an
unfolding news story and promised to turn up in the evening. I got time to
chalk out my action plan-where to go first, how to approach people etc. I went
through my questionnaire and tried to correct typing errors if any. It was a
matter of about hundred respondents, representing a cross section of the population.
Daylight waned over the streets of Bolpur and the fading light ushered in a
mystic evening. The Journalist turned up at the hotel with a smile. He was
talking over phone to someone regarding my issue, looking for prospective
respondents I thought. We went out without wasting any more time and were soon
asking people to spare some of their valuable time to give tick marks beside a
set of options. Some complied with our request while some were not so forthcoming. Bolpur though, true to its spirit, was mostly
cooperative.
The next day I turned up at Padma Bhavana at Visvabharathi
University. A famed professor of
Geography department was my second contact person. I have met him once earlier
in one of his book launch ceremonies in Kolkata. A man who was not fond of
wasting his time over “fixing issues” and lazy gossip, this professor was a lot
different from the general yardstick. He was among a few researchers in India
who could undertake innovative means to pursue his area of interest. His energy
was infectious on those who were around him. Truly international in spirit and
resembling Paulo Coelho in looks, I was more than glad to meet him with my
research idea and a set of questionnaires. He found interest in my area of
study and introduced me to some of the students. He briefed them about their
role and the students gladly agreed to help me in my research. I myself being a
part of a University can say it with conviction that students of Visvabharati
take academic issues in proper light and are highly cooperative. They are
keen to participate and learn and don’t give the “I know things better than
you” stare. Boys and girls were overenthusiastic to shoulder the responsibility
of meeting members of different households in their locality. Number of filled
up questionnaires swelled in a jiffy. Two rickshaw pullers in front of my hotel
also helped me reach prospective respondents. The five days of my survey in
Bolpur turned out to be highly productive.
The journalist continued to back up with his resources
wherever he could. Working in the wee hours of night on a story, he was never
disturbed when I called. While during the day I was busy completing my
objective in the night I went out for a walk to feel the pulse of Shantiniketan
and adjoining areas. The serene roads, devoid of busy traffic and blaring
horns, were very different from the cacophony of Kolkata. As I strolled past
the Upasana Griha in Santiniketan I could not but praise the endeavour of
Rabindranath Tagore in conceiving the idea of Visvabharathi. This educational
institute was started by a man who did not have formal learning and schooling
and whose philosophy about teaching was –“Knock at the doors of the mind. If
any boy is asked to give an account of what is awakened in him by such
knocking, he will probably say something silly. For what happens within is much
bigger than what comes out in words. Those who pin their faith on university
examinations as the test of education take no account of this.”1
Skeptics might argue that this educational spirit of Rabindranath has now been
diluted but they cannot point fingers at the upkeep of Visvabharathi
University which is truly world
class. One evening I took a rickshaw to the Gitanjali cinema hall. They were
showing the movie The Attacks of 26/11. A balcony ticket came really
cheap and I went in to see this latest Ram Gopal Verma thriller. As expected
Ram Gopal dished out something which was not really appreciable. Coming out
from the hall I sauntered towards the restaurant which caught my attention
while entering the complex for buying tickets. Ghare Baire, a restaurant
which offers authentic Bengali cuisine was adjacent to the cinema hall. The men
who were taking orders at the restaurant wore traditional Bengali dress. I settled
for some light snacks and a big cup of tea which was served in a beautiful
earthen pot or “Bhar”. The interiors of the restaurant were highly influenced
by creative exploits of Rabindranath Tagore. Lines from his poem decorated the
ceiling. Different shades of his painting was also lighting up the atmosphere.
Earlier when I came to Bolpur I had a pleasant experience of Alcha Boutique and
Restaurant. This time Ghare Baire proved to be really interesting.
I have been to four other places for my research but there
was something special about Bolpur. No wonder that tourists pour in from all
corners of the globe during Poush Mela and Basanta Utsav in Santiniketan. There
is life in this place. It liberates the soul and brings in lot of fresh air. Amidst
all the dullness of modern life Bolpur holds a promise of “good times”.
1. Source: Wikipedia.
