Calcutta Cafeteria Carnival on Jan 12

KOLKATA: Imagine a day without a cup of tea or coffee? In Bengal, both tea and coffee are woven into the fabric of collective consciousness, integral to every adda of politics, sports, or films. Come January 12, 2024, and the city is gearing up to organise an event which celebrates the cultural significance of both tea and coffee.

Titled, ‘Calcutta Cafeteria Carnival’, this one-day event at Mohor Kunja promises to have a delightful mix of on-stage and off-stage programmes, bringing together the spirit of Kolkata and the love for tea and coffee.

“Tea and coffee serve as catalysts for the mind. Whether it’s in movies like ‘Nayak’ or ‘Agantuk’, tea plays a crucial role, much like it does in our daily lives.

For the first time, we’re coming together to celebrate coffee and tea, along with diverse cerebral programmes such as poetry, music, and painting,” said Pralay Majumdar, Jt. Secy, Power, during a press conference on Friday at Calcutta Dance Academy.

From bilingual debate, which will feature Ashoke Viswanathan, Dr Kunal Sarkar, Dr Kaushik Ghosh, Chandril Bhattacharya, Srijato, and others, to a panel discussion on

how tea and coffee have evolved in modern Bengal, featuring Sugata Bose, Debashis Sen, MD of Hidco and chairman of NKDA, musician Anindya Chattopadhyay, this one-day event will hold interesting conversations over hot cups of coffee

and tea.

Then, there will be a cafeteria quiz, college competitions, musical soiree with artistes performing their own music, and even a fashion show.

Off stage, one can enjoy cartoons, try canvas painting with Kolkata’s Coffee Man Partha Mukherjee, play chess, experiment with collages, and learn crochet.

For musician and cartoonist Upal Sengupta, this event is like a trip back to college days. “We discussed films, music, and poetry at the Coffee House during our college days and the Calcutta Cafeteria Carnival Season 1 is bringing back those memories. I’m delighted to be a part of the carnival,” he said.