Santiniketan chronicles: Unesco heritage status adorns the idyllic haven

A functioning educational institute, it will have to navigate the challenges the heritage label presents

Nestled in lush greenery, where trees have stood as silent witnesses to the ebb and flow of history, Santiniketan, steeped in avant-garde art and architecture, requires no formal introduction. The birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore's visionary alternative education concept has long captivated the world's imagination. Today, over a century later, it experiences a rekindling of its charm, akin to a cherished classic, read and reread by different generations, each imbuing it with fresh significance.

On September 17, during the World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Santiniketan was welcomed into the hallowed Unesco World Heritage List – becoming the 41st site in India and the third in West Bengal to receive the recognition (the other two are Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway as part of Mountain Railways of India).

   

A visit to this idyllic haven reveals that the Unesco inscription hasn’t yet triggered a surge in tourists. Nonetheless, on a drizzly mid-morning, a handful of visitors can't resist the allure of a photograph in front of the Upasana Griha, the prayer hall adorned with Belgian-coloured glass, even if its gates remain closed.

Much of the heritage area has remained off-limits to visitors since the onset of the Covid pandemic, as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) undertook extensive conservation efforts. The anticipated handover of these historic buildings to Visva-Bharati is expected in December. The museum nestled inside Rabindra Bhavana within the Uttarayan Complex, though, is open.

The true excitement of the Unesco tag is palpable among the 15,000-odd students who call Santiniketan their academic home. Bidisha Khamaru, a second-year Bengali honors student, enthusiastically declares her deep reverence for the institution. "For the broader populace, this will be like an awakening," she proclaims. This sentiment resonates with a group of students outside Vidya Bhavana, pursuing Bachelor's degrees in Russian.  

Throughout the institution, the anticipation of ripple effects is building. Bidyut Chakrabarty, vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati, says, "There are three pivotal milestones in our history."

The first was in 1901, when Tagore transformed his father Debendranath Tagore's ashram into an experimental school, Patha-Bhavana, introducing open-air classes. In 1921, the vision was institutionalised with the establishment of Visva-Bharati. In 1913, the world celebrated Rabindranath Tagore's "profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse", Gitanjali (a collection of poems), by awarding him the Nobel Prize in literature. Following his passing, Visva-Bharati was officially declared an institution of national importance in 1951, evolving into a central university through an Act of Parliament.
 

"The fourth milestone is September 17, 2023," Chakrabarty states, "which made it the only living institution to receive this prestigious tag."

Chakrabarty anticipates a future surge in tourism from several countries. Already, Visva-Bharati hosts an average of 100,000 visitors each month, with numbers peaking in winter months. The monsoon, which blankets Santiniketan in serene greenery, is not really a tourist season.

The path to securing a place on the Unesco list was lengthy. Conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah and Manish Chakraborty prepared the initial nomination dossier for ASI in 2009. However, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) raised questions, and it didn't go through.

Then, in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, Lambah received an unexpected call from ASI, stating that it had to be sent in the next 10 days. Despite the decade-long gap, Lambah and her team successfully prepared and updated the dossier, etching history anew.

Adjustments were made to simplify the nomination this time around. The buffer zone, encompassing the area surrounding the nominated property, was refined to include solely the Visva-Bharati campus. The earlier proposal covered a more extensive Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority (SSDA) area, which includes Sriniketan and was a parallel effort by Tagore to meet rural needs. This was a logical decision since the 3 km stretch between Santiniketan and Sriniketan now brims with contemporary residential structures, mirroring the real estate boom of recent decades.

Unesco-designated sites must possess outstanding universal value (OUV) and satisfy at least one of the ten selection criteria. Consequently, the nomination criteria for Santiniketan were revised.

From highlighting the traditions of ‘gurukul’ and ‘tapoban’, which ICOMOS had contested, it now focused on the ensemble art, architecture and inter-weaving of Pan-Asian culture. “We had to make it more tangible,” Lambah explains.

“What I proposed this time around is that Santiniketan represents, in a way, a new modernity in India," Lambah points out. During a period marked by the struggle for freedom and Indian revivalism, Santiniketan diverged from Western influences, directing its gaze inwards. Even as India endured colonial rule, Santiniketan explored its own roots, embracing Indian crafts, local and sustainable materials, and both folk and classical Indian art. A harmonious blend of Balinese, Burmese, Chinese and Japanese traditions permeates this living heritage.

Securing the Unesco inscription was no small feat, and the challenge now lies in preserving it. GM Kapur, convenor of the Calcutta chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), expresses hope for the establishment of a conservation management plan. Stringent conditions must be upheld, and haphazard construction is prohibited, as exemplified by the lessons learned from Dresden.

Dresden's Elbe Valley lost its Unesco status in 2009 when it proceeded with the construction of a four-lane bridge within its cultural landscape, compromising its "outstanding universal value". Similar cases include Liverpool, stripped of its status in 2021 due to new construction impacting its waterfront, and the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, the first-ever site to be delisted in 2007 as Oman reduced its protected area by 90 per cent.

Safeguarding the outstanding universal value is paramount. The responsibility falls upon the heritage committee, which must include an ICOMOS member, Chakrabarty says, emphasising that the Ministry of Culture also shares the responsibility of maintaining this status.

The ICOMOS team conducted an on-site visit to Santiniketan two years ago. Consequently, strict regulations prohibit any construction within the ashram area. However, the presence of physical barriers has sparked debates, as it seems to contradict Tagore's cherished concept of openness. Yet, navigating the challenges faced by a heritage living institution involves more than architectural concerns.

Preserving the serene atmosphere of Patha-Bhavana, where classes continue beneath the comforting shade of mango trees, remains a top priority. Chakrabarty underscores the need to avoid disruptions, stating, "Allowing large crowds may disturb students, jeopardising our unique educational model." The school has about 4,000 students.

An official notes, "This is not your typical heritage site; it is an educational institute. Therefore, meticulous planning is essential to accommodate tourists while preserving our educational mission."

The post-Covid era has witnessed a surge in tourism, leading to a substantial increase in revenues. The hospitality industry has flourished, with hotels and homestays proliferating. Amid this influx, the institution contemplates a phased entry approach for visitors.

As Santiniketan adorns itself with new signage and site maps to welcome tourists, it grapples with the delicate challenge of maintaining its status as a vibrant educational institution while sharing its rich heritage with the world.

Living history 

Heritage property: 36 hectares

Comprises: 36 historic structures

Buffer zone: 537.73 hectares