V-B team holds rehearsal heritage walk before ashram tour launch by month end

Time of India

23-07-2025

Santiniketan: A Visva-Bharati team, led by vice-chancellor Probir Kumar Ghosh, held a trial heritage walk on the campus on Wednesday, in the run-up to the guided tours of the ashram, scheduled to be flagged off by the end of the month.
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"The trial run was meant as a preview. We are trying to make this a perfect project," said VC Ghosh. Ever since the pandemic struck, visitors' entry into the ashram has been barred.
The heritage walk, being managed by Rabindra Bhavana, will be a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the ashram complex, with trained guides—four male and four female university employees have been trained for the task—narrating the history and relevance of various landmarks.
Visitors will have the option of choosing from Bengali-, Hindi- and English-speaking guides. While Indians will have to pay Rs 300 per person, the tariff will be Rs 1,000 per head for foreigners, Rs 150 for individual students and Rs 50 for students in groups.
Initially, the tours will be held on Sundays only but the frequency will increase gradually.
For now, a visit to Rabindra Bhavana will not be part of the walk but people can go there separately by paying a fee, as is the current practice. If the walks turn popular, the university would consider including other places, such as Kala Bhavana, Sangit Bhavana, Sriniketan and Rabindra Bhavana, in the walks, said Rabindra Bhavana director Amit Hazra. "If the walks expand, we will have to arrange for e-rickshaws to cover the large area and combo tickets will be offered," he said.