Welcome to the peaceful abode that is Shantiniketan and the home of the schools of Visva-Bharati created by the artist and educational visionary Rabindranath Tagore. You can find us here about one hundred kilometres North West of Kolkata and it is my last stop before Kolkata on our adventure discovery fairy tales.
A little dip into the world of this educational haven will open a world of the imagination for here is where the most farsighted and radical methods of the world of childhood are nourished and brought to life. Classes are centred on children’s experience and are taken outside with nature at the heart of experience.
I met many teachers and students in a day full of stories. Here they have whole lessons centred on storytelling each school week and every history lesson begins with the teachers and students telling their own stories of life.
We are very fortunate to arrive now as it is the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday and it is celebrated with an enormous gathering of previous students and teachers celebrating creativity. The evening of three day festival cumulates with a grand drama play, written by Tagore called Mayar Khala and is broadcasted live on Indian television.
Today is also the spring full moon Holi festival. On this day spring cleaning is all the rage as colour is brought to life! Join in and be drenched in colour as you become the work of art.
Song and dance encircle the out-door class rooms and adorned cows wonder past as travelling holy minstrels weave their magical stories in song and drama.
We have been invited to return to the school in the future and work with the children so welcome aboard to the classes and teachers of the school and university of Visva-Bharati in Shantiniketan and we hope that you have as much fun as us spreading imaginative children’s story telling across the world.
Oh and guess what! We have been found by reporters of The Anada Basti Patorka and The Indian Statesman newspapers. They both interviewed me at the festival and will include us in their articles. Maybe you can find them and stories about our adventure in their papers on the internet.
Spring is with us and the temperature is rising fast. I am jumping aboard the early morning train and will dive back into the heady heat of Kolkata. I look forward to bringing to you my final articles as we tread lightly on the final pages of our magical fairy tale adventure in the land of story-telling that is India.
