Kuthibari: Tagore’s legacy

It was my monsoon holidays back in 2015. I was spending it lazily until my father offered me a tour to Kushtia. Without any second thought I said yes. Reaching there, I started to feel bored as it was my father's official tour. My sole purpose was to visit Shilaidaha after reaching Kushtia. But my father disagreed to take us there due to shortage of time. However, my little sister insisted upon visiting Shilaidaha. She said, "If I don't get to see 'Rabi Dadu's house, why did we come all this way down here?" With that, she convinced my father and he took us there the next day.
Located about 20 km from Kushtia town, Shilaidaha Kuthibari is the main tourist attraction of Kushtia. It is a beautiful crimson extensive building surrounded by green trees, plants and colourful flowers. It upholds the memory of the Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore who made frequent visits to this place and stayed here in connection with the administration of his Zamidari. The serenity and natural beauty of this place inspired him to compose some of his best verses. Thus, this place indirectly contributed to the enrichment of Bengali literature.
Sitting in Kuthibari or on a boat in the Padma, Rabindranath wrote a number of his literary masterpieces such as Sonar Tori, Chitra, Chaitali, Katha O Kahini, Ksanika, most of the poems from Naibedya and Kheya, and the songs from Gitanjali and Gitimalya. From here, in 1912, the poet started translating his Gitanjali into English, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1913. Rabindranath was deeply attached to Shilaidaha and Padma, which is evident in his Chhinna Patrabali. Rabindranath Tagore once wrote in a letter, "The holy place of my literary pursuits during my youth and middle age was the village of Shilaidaha -kissed by the waves of river Padma".
The place has many visitors. Nirupama Banerjee, a lawyer, said, "It was a wonderful feeling to visit Kuthibari where the great Rabindranath Tagore lived and composed so many of his great works. I really love the paintings, furniture used by the poet and the overall ambience."
Purobi Garfield, an Indian-American says, "To me it is a pilgrimage. I had left India almost 35 years ago. I was listening to Tagore's songs in my ipod and thinking this is where Tagore and Kadambari Devi walked around planning their garden. It was an amazing experience."

How to go
From Dhaka you can go by train or bus. Subarna Express and Mohanagar Godhuli could be good choice. After reaching Kustia, you can hire an auto-rickshaw and visit this historic and beautiful place.