‘West Bengal Day’ was celebrated at the India International Trade Fair 2014 on Monday. A troupe of Baul singers (wandering minstrels) staged a live performance to popularise the folk tradition of Bengal. The special attraction of the evening was a performance by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and his instrumental band Rhythmscape.
Raibenshe folk dancer Abu Saleh and his troupe also displayed their daring martial arts skills at the event. This dance was once very popular in West Bengal. Presently, it is performed mostly in the districts of Birbhum, Burdwan and Murshidabad. Traditionally, it involves vigorous movements of the body along with acrobatics with the help of a raibansh (a long bamboo stick), from which its name originated.
‘The theme of the West Bengal pavilion at IITF is ‘inclusive growth’, highlighting its objective to bring marginalised artists and craftsmen to the mainstream economy,’ said Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra. ‘We are also exhibiting Bengal’s great artistic, cultural tradition and positioning ourselves as a tourism and business hub to potential travellers and investors,’ he said. Each day of the fair is being observed as a state day at the 33rd IITF.
Raibenshe folk dancer Abu Saleh and his troupe also displayed their daring martial arts skills at the event. This dance was once very popular in West Bengal. Presently, it is performed mostly in the districts of Birbhum, Burdwan and Murshidabad. Traditionally, it involves vigorous movements of the body along with acrobatics with the help of a raibansh (a long bamboo stick), from which its name originated.
‘The theme of the West Bengal pavilion at IITF is ‘inclusive growth’, highlighting its objective to bring marginalised artists and craftsmen to the mainstream economy,’ said Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra. ‘We are also exhibiting Bengal’s great artistic, cultural tradition and positioning ourselves as a tourism and business hub to potential travellers and investors,’ he said. Each day of the fair is being observed as a state day at the 33rd IITF.