Cooking contest to be held at New Town to usher in Poila Baisakh

Kolkata: A cooking-cum-recipe contest will be held for senior citizens at Swapno Bhor as a part of the celebration of Poila Baishakh, the Bengali New Year's Day, which falls on next Sunday.

This is the first time that such a venture has been undertaken. Swapno Bhor is the only senior citizen's park in Bengal, where the members are involved in various kinds of activities throughout the year, which includes games, cultural programmes and launching of books.

In addition to a lush green park which covers around 3 acres, there is a two-storeyed building that houses a library, an auditorium and a room for indoor games. Cultural shows are held regularly.

Two expert chefs from Café Ekante will judge the best dishes. The participants will bring in cooked food from their homes. After the judges reach their verdict, the food items will be available for the members for tasting.

There will be a special gala buffet at Café Ekante and New Town Business Club. There will be traditional dishes and dessert on offer. The food will be available from 1 pm to 4 pm and from 7 pm to 10 pm.

Over the years, Café Ekante has come up as a major food joint and foodies from Kolkata and its neighbourhood visit the restaurant. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the one who had named the restaurant.

There will be a special non-veg menu on offer at New Town Business Club. Traditional food will be served, along with sweets.

On Poila Baishakh, a musical programme will be held in the evening. Noted singer Riddhi Bandyopadhyay will present songs composed by five great poets of Bengal, namely Rabindranath, Nazrul, Atulprasad, Rajanikanta and Dwijendralal. She will also present some of the traditional Bengali numbers. Shimul Islam, noted elocutionist from Bangladesh, will also be present at the show.