Date:10/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/10/stories/2008041055801300.htm

National

Swraj Paul, team to visit Santiniketan today

Indrani Dutta

Kolkata: The visiting delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (U.K. branch) led by Lord Swraj Paul on Wednesday took a boat-ride down the Hooghly river to visit Belur and will go to Santiniketan on Thursday.

Talking to The Hindu after his return from Belur, which is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, he said he felt peaceful after his visit to Belur, which is situated just on the river bank. “All my colleagues enjoyed their visit, although for me it was not a first.” He said the team would go to Santiniketan on Thursday.

“It has been the abode of Rabindranath Tagore and it is a famous place. The Viswabharati University founded by the poet was close to Indira Gandhi, who also spent some years of her life there,” Lord Paul said. He said he was visiting the place (about 250 km from here) after a decade, but his delegation members were going there for the first time. A cultural show has also been organised for the CPA team.