UNESCO World Heritage tag puts spotlight on Shantiniketan's avant-garde, green aesthetic

Shantiniketan’s art and architecture stands out in the World Heritage crowd as a testament to a sustainable way of life that we are only beginning to fathom nowMaharshi Debendranath Tagore had bought a large chunk of land in Bolpur, Birbhum in 1863 and built a guest house called ShantiniketanGradually, the entire area began to be known by that name and his son Rabindranath Tagore developed a school there and later Visva Bharati, his world university Rabindranath Tagore had looked East for inspiration when India was under the yoke of colonialism, developing Shantiniketan with a Pan Asian modernity in mindIn Times Special, we speak to Abha Narain Lambah and Manish Chakraborti, who made Shantiniketan’s UNESCO nomination dossierIn the abode of happiness, in this blessed realm, you reign in truth and beauty