Anupam Kher visits Rabindranath Tagore's 'Divine' Santiniketan; bids all Indians to go too

Celebrated actor Anupam Kher recently paid his first ever visit to West Bengal's Santiniketan, the place made famous by Nobel laureate and Indian polymath Rabindranath Tagore and a location renowned for its serene atmosphere and calming energy.

During his visit, which was accompanied by much fanfare and witnessed the veteran thespian being given a rousing welcome, Anupam Kher also attended an event organized at the famous Visva-Bharati University and spent time with university students, faculty and the ascetics of Santiniketan.

Kher tweeted a brief description of his visit and stated, “Shantiniketan and I! A cultural and spiritual glimpse. Here are a few glimpses of my most memorable first visit to VisvaBharati and Rabindranath Tagore Ji's ShantiNiketan. Every Indian should visit this divine place. My mind calmed down! Life is successful. Thank you everybody at #Shantiniketan once again for all the love. Jai Gurudev!,”

Anupam Kher's post comprised a stunning montage of his visit, including a number of photos. In one of the videos, young children can be seen swarming the actor to get their picture taken. Anupam Kher was requested to turn over the ledger and give his autograph. He also paid floral tributes to Rabindranath Tagore and glimpsed Gurudev's living room and writing table. The actor described himself as the "wealthiest man" while visiting the library. He got his hands on the first edition of Gitanjali, Tagore's most celebrated work. He also attended a cultural event at Visva-Bharati.

Rabindranath Tagore, Santiniketan and Visva Bharati 

A hundred miles north of Kolkata, Santiniketan was first established by Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore, as an ashram where anybody could visit and meditate on the one Supreme God, regardless of caste or creed. Debendranath had been one of the key figures of the 'Indian Renaissance' and was also known as Maharshi, which means one who is both saint and sage. With time, the entire area came to be known as Santiniketan.

In a trust document reportedly issued in 1888, Debendranath had declared: "Apart from worshipping the Formless, no community may worship any idol depicting god, man, or animal; nobody may conduct sacrificial fires or ceremonies in Santiniketan." This place will not tolerate insults to any religion or religious deity. The sermons delivered here will be suitable for worshipping the Creator and Father and will promote morality, kindness, fraternity, etc."

Visva-Bharati University, meanwhile came into existence in its contemporary form in May 1951 after being declared a Central University and "An Institution of National Importance" by an Act of Parliament. Before that, Visva-Bharati had been established by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921 with the vision to unite eastern and western values. Based in Santiniketan, the Visva-Bharati University has emerged as a centre of culture where research and study of the religion, literature, history, science and art of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, Sikh, Christian and other civilisations including those in the west are pursued.