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A short trip to Santipur, Nadia Jan 16-18

Santipur is not very far from Kolkata. It takes around 2-2.5 hours from Sealdah station to reach there. So, one fine morning in January, I and my friend Titas boarded the Santipur local from Bidhannagar Road station. The destination was Santipur, one of the most famous cultural hubs in West Bengal. Santipur can be portrayed as one of the oldest learning centers of the Sanskrit language in the state. It is also a major hub of the Hindu religion since it houses a large number of temples which differentiates the city from other cities in Bengal. In no other city of Bengal, you will find so many temples and places of worship. This was obviously my first trip to the city, which was earlier a small town. 

January 16, 2013

It was 10:40 am in the morning of 16^th Jan. We met on scheduled time and boarded the Santipur local from Bidhannagar. Luckily, the train was not crowded since it was not a rush hour. We got window seats and started enjoying the views, which mostly were a blend of agricultural land, residential areas, and scattered greenery. The percentage of scattered greenery increased as we started getting closer to Santipur, after leaving Naihati junction. Most of the passengers on board were destined to Santipur. We had a plan of staying at Titas’ maternal uncle’s house for two days and then we would return to Kolkata. We reached Santipur station at around 1 pm in the afternoon and took a rickshaw to reach uncle’s house. We were welcomed with a lot of warmth and cordiality. We were tired so there was no plan to explore the city that very day. We had a quick bath and savored the lunch prepared by Titas’ maternal aunt. We rested that day. It was quite cold outside and the temperature was significantly less than that of Kolkata.

January 17, 2013

The next day, I woke up early as the idea was to explore important parts of this cultural hub. A tricycle van was arranged for me for this purpose. I also had my trusted companion for photography Sony Cybershot ready to collect glimpses of this cultural hub. Bhaja, as the rickshaw driver is known, has tremendous knowledge about the various localities in the city. Uncle also accompanied me. Three of us drove through the alleys and roads and covered many temples and places of worship that make the city famous. It is believed that Raja Krishnachandra of Nadia constructed the Daakghar or the citadel, one of the major attractions of the city. The city is also known for a number of cultural festivals which is manifested in various corners of the place. Most popular festivals include Dolutsav and Rashutsav. I visited Poteshwari Mandir, Jaleswar Temple, and the Lokenath Temple. The main deity worshipped in the city is the Radharaman Temple housed in Baro Gosai Bari. Santipur is also home to a number of Kali Temples like Ghat Chaduni, MoshKhagi and Agomeswari Temple. I also did not miss out Rabindra Ghat, the place from where our Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore saw the holy Ganges. The house of Bijoy Krishna Goswami, the famous religious figure and social reformer, is also a notable site. My Cybershot camera did not rest and I took 253 snaps in all. Time to return. It’s almost bikal or afternoon.

January 18, 2013

My busy work schedule was calling and in the morning of January 18, we departed from Santipur. It was really a memorable experience for me. It’s not really possible to cover all the areas in one day as the city is quite big. Next time I visit, I will obviously try to cover the areas which I missed due to lack of time.

By Susmit Bharadwaj

Photo album link: https://www.facebook.com/susmitbharadwaj/media_set?set=a.475430362513685.109131.100001401776652&type=3

RT @shellmeister84: How to build a fulfilling career, dld.bz/aeKw2

— Susmit Bharadwaj (@Sbh76) January 31, 2013

Education System in West Bengal: Has it reduced to a farce?

Recently, the West Bengal Government has taken a decision that it will make the examination system till Class VIII optional. This decision has raked up controversies in the civil society. Many are of the opinion that the education system in West Bengal has reduced to a farce and situation is getting worse day by day and there is no solution in sight.

Certain sections of the educated people, intelligentsia, and scholars are saying that the time has come to make a drastic change in the education policy of West Bengal or else, the situation will entirely go out of control.  

Historically, the education system in West Bengal has been plagued by a number of problems. First, the government took a decision of introducing English from Class VI in Bengali Medium Schools. This resulted in bad performance by the students of Bengali Medium Schools in competitive exams where English is compulsory. Previously, students could study engineering and medical if they secured a good rank in the Joint Entrance Examination. Now, students can study engineering and medical despite a low rank in JEE if they have money.

The situation of the effectiveness of the education system in West Bengal has raised a question once the government decided that it would abolish the examination system. Many think that this would make things worse since there is no way to assess the proficiency of the student. The students will face difficulties once they appear for the exams in Class IX and higher classes.

The absence of screening or testing the aptitude of students will create a huge problem. They will not be able to test their ability at a young age and because of this, they will have problems in choosing the stream of higher education in the future. The state will fall behind other Indian states which have not made the exam system optional or abolished it.

Moreover, students don’t attend classes and instead go to private tuitions where they get suggestions and probable questions from the private tutors. Teachers of government schools and colleges don’t attend classes and conduct private tuitions since it helps them earn more money in quick time. As a consequence, students who are poor and don’t have the money to study at private tuition centers get deprived.

Educators think that the education system in West Bengal should undergo a total overhaul and examination system should be introduced in every class. However, there are doubts that any major change will take place in the near future.   

By Susmit Bharadwaj