Now, former Maoists to take part in Hul Utsav

To provide a wider platform to Maoists who have surrendered and joined mainstream life, the state government for the first time has decided to engage them for a cultural performance in the state-level Hul Utsav.

This is the second year when the Mamata Banerjee government is going to hold the state-level Hul Utsav to commemorate the fight of Santhals against the British Raj in 1885. This year, the event will be organised at Silda in the newly-created Jhargram district.

A troupe comprising a group of youth and women from Jangalmahal who had once taken up guns and were involved in "anti-state" movements is going to showcase their talent in different art forms in the three-day-long Hul Utsav scheduled to be held on June 30-July 2.

The Tribal Development minister James Kujur, the state Backward Classes Welfare department minister, Churamani Mahato, minister of state of the Backward Classes Welfare department, Sandhya Rani Tudu will be present in the inaugural ceremony of Hul Utsav.

It may be mentioned that till date, more than 300 Maoists including top-level leaders have surrendered to the police in order to return to mainstream life. The state government has also provided them with necessary rehabilitation packages to help them get established and to regain their confidence in order to earn their livelihood.

Among the surrendered Maoists, there are a good number of youth and women who have the talent to take part in different cultural activities. Thus, the state government has decided to give them a wider platform to showcase their talent.

According to an official of the state secretariat, Hul Utsav is the right platform for them to showcase their talent. It may be mentioned that the state Correctional Administration department also organises several programmes to provide a platform to inmates in order to showcase their talent in dance-drama, music and paintings.

Hul Utsav will be performed in all the district headquarters when the state-level edition will take place at Silda in Jhargram. Special emphasis is given to organise the programme at four other places including Belpahari and Lalgarh in Jhargram district, Khatra in Bankura and Ayodhya in Purulia. All the four areas were once under the dominion of Maoists and Silda, where the state-level Hul Utsav is being held, had witnessed the killings of the 24 jawans of the Eastern Frontier Rifles by Maoists on February 10, 2010.

The situation gradually changed and peace prevailed in Jangalmahal after the top leader of Maoists, Kishenji was killed in a gun battle on November 24, 2011.

On Thursday, Atri Bhattacharya, Principal Secretary of the Information and Cultural Affairs department, held a video conference with District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police and District Information and Cultural Officers of Jhargram and West Midnapore districts in this connection.

Musical instruments including dhamsa and madol will be distributed among the groups which will be performing in the state-level Hul Utsav.

Besides the Maoists who have returned to mainstream life, troupes of tribal dance and students from different schools will also be performing in the programme in Silda.

The students of the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir Eklavya Model Residential School will also be performing in the event. It may be mentioned that on Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee had felicitated a student of the school, Uday Murmu, who stood first in Santhali language in this year's Madhyamik examination.