Located about 158 km northwest of Kolkata in Bengal's rural hinterland, Shantiniketan embodies Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of a place of learning that is unfettered by religious and regional barriers. Established in 1863 with the aim of helping education go beyond the confines of the classroom, Shantiniketan grew into the Visva Bharati University in 1921, attracting some of the most creative minds in the country.Feel the fascinating story of how the rural paradise of Shantiniketan, Tagore’s erstwhile home, became a thriving centre of art, education and internationalism over the years.Thanks to Tagore’s legacy, Shantiniketan has managed to preserve Bengal’s fast-disappearing rural crafts culture through folk markets, like the weekly Bondangaar Haat, and rural co-operatives, like Amar Kutir.