With renewed fervour, 'Dekho Re' resumes at Laldighi after brief hiatus

Kolkata: The food-cum-cultural festival organised by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), 'Dekho Re', re-started at Laldighi on Saturday. It was suspended temporarily from the end of June because of the rainy season, followed by the festive season of Durga Puja and Kali Puja.

Laldighi in the central business district had emerged as one of the favourite weekend destinations for the city-dwellers after the cultural extravaganza "Dekho Re" started last April, from the day of Poila Baisakh – the beginning of the Bengali year.

A Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's brain child, 'Dekho Re' is organised jointly by the departments of Information and Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

It is held from 5 pm every Saturday and Sunday. A variety of Bengali dishes are available and people can savour them accompanied by presentations by well-known artistes of the state.

Hundreds of people used to visit every Saturday and Sunday to enjoy folk music along with Bengali cuisine. Many book stalls and makeshift shops to sell handicraft goods were also set up.

Folk artistes from different parts of the state who are enrolled under the state government's Lok Prashar Prakalpa have been performing at Laldighi every Saturdays and Sundays. Despite being situated in an area that is surrounded by offices, both government and private, it had gained immense popularity. On every weekend, Laldighi used to get a different look with folk artistes performing on the beats of traditional music.

"The events and arrangements of 'Dekho Re' will be the same and we are hopeful that it will continue to enjoy the popularity that it had enjoyed. It will continue to serve as a good platform to manufacturers of handicraft goods to promote their produce in the Kolkata market," a senior KMC official said.