Santiniketan, Birbhum, WB, India

Santiniketan - the land of two nobel laureates - Rabindranath Tagore and Amartya Sen - of literature and economics!!

This is my favorite destination in the entire world not only because I have a home here but because it gives me the most desired perspective of how life can be kept as simple as we want it to be.

The locals on a routine day of their lives

A 4-hour road trip from Kolkata or a 3-hour train ride from Howrah or Sealdah - pick your choice - both have their own charm. A good time to visit to get a feel for the sheer rural culture of Birbhum is Poush Mela (last week of december) or Dol Jatra (Holi). It gets crowded but thats what gives you the real experience. From Tagore to Baul songs - Santiniketan stands tall in preserving the cultural heritage of Bengal.

Sriniketan Road

The vast greenery enroute

Kantha Stitched Scarf on Tassar Silk

Poush Mela has been my favorite and most of my home decor comes all the way from the talented rural artisans - gives my home the vibrant hues and colors - much needed in our fast paced life. Dont miss the famous Birbhum posto that most bengalis would die for! And also remember to pick up a "kantha" embroidered clothing or bedsheet or anything else you fancy from the street-lined vendors in the town - I personally go to Bhubandanga.


Khwai-er mela is also a popular hangout for Saturday afternoons  - plenty to eat (mostly the delighful bhaja's) and buy.

I have always enjoyed the very homely & absolutely delicious hot food served at Banalakshmi which is slightly off the beaten track. Also brought back bottles and bottles of ghee and aachar from their store.

Am sharing some snapshots of our road trip from Kolkata to Santiniketan that we make almost every year.

Photo Credit: Adrish (please respect originality by not reproducing these photographs for any commercial or personal purposes)

Kantha Stitched Scarf on Tassar Silk

Khwai (ravine)

Poush Mela

Disclaimer: Please do not consider any specific information as any sort of "recommendation". This is only a personal memo that I am sharing on the internet - the views and opinions are solely from my personal experience and may or may not align with yours.