‘Bhai Phonta’ celebrated across the state

A children of a destitute home called Nilkantha Anathalaya at South Dinajpur’s Kushmandi, celebrated bhai phonta on Tuesday. Sunanda Biswas, a local Panchayat functionary was present with her family to give Bhai phonta to those residents of the destitute home.

It was a surprise for those children in the home who saw their didi coming to their home with a bagful of gifts which included pants, shirts, books, pens, pencils, drawing books and colours.

Sunanda took almost no time to arrange those 40 children in a queue to give them tika on their forehead. The joy of those elated children knew no bound.

The scene of the residential home at Raigunge’s Debinagar – controlled by state government was almost similar. The residents of ‘Sishu Sadan’ were depressed up until the local girls, their sisters and elder sisters, gave them bhai phonta there. Mohit Sengupta, MLA of Raigunge was also present in the occasion.

There were many events in Siliguri, where girls gave bhai phontas to the physically challenged people. Many poor people were also given bhai phonta in those events.

However, in Kolkata, Medical Bank organised a bhai phonta among 200 street children at Shobhabazar Metro station. The sisters put tika on the forehead of their brothers and blessed them. Sweets were distributed. The programme began with the girls putting on the photographs of Indian jawans who lost their lives at Uri.

In a unique move, some housewives in North Kolkata gave bhai phonta to traffic sergeants and constables who were on duty. They put tika and gave packets of sweets. The police personnel presented them with chocolates.

Political personalities also took part in the celebration. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media to wish denizens on the occasion while Mayor Sovan Chatterjee took phonta from his elder and younger sisters. Raised in a joint family, Chatterjee was blessed by his elder sister. 

Sobhandeb Chatterjee, state power minister also took phonta from his sisters along with his brothers at their Bhowanipore residence.

Subrata Mukherjee, minister for panchayat and rural development took phonta from his younger sister. Aroop Biswas, state youth affairs minister took phota from celebrities of Tollywood.