Poush Mela returns to Shantiniketan after 4 yrs

Kolkata: After a four-year hiatus, the traditional ‘Poush Mela’ resumed at Shantiniketan on Monday.

It has jointly been organised by Shantiniketan Trust and Visva-Bharati. The main fair at Purba Palli Ground will be for six days, while the traditional ‘Poush Utsav’ established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore will continue for four days.

The ‘Poush Utsav’ commenced with a cultural programme and special prayers at Chatimtala on Monday morning. The organisers are of the opinion that this year a record number of people will visit Poush Mela as it is being held after a four-year gap. The Visva-Bharati authority and local administration have made all arrangements to make it eco-friendly.

The ‘Poush Utsav’ started at Shantiniketan on December 21, 1843, when Devendranath Tagore and 20 followers received the Brahmo doctrine from Ram Chandra Vidyabagish. From its inception, it was organised as a single-day event by the Shantiniketan Trust and later turned into a two-day celebration in 1922 under Visva-Bharati.

By the late 30s, it extended to three official days and one additional day. ‘Poush Mela’ could not be held for four years due to the Covid situation and some environment-related orders. The shop owners and the businessmen in the regions were also eagerly waiting for the event to resume. The hotel owners in Shantiniketan are also looking for a surge of visitors during Poush Mela. They are also expecting that more bookings will be made in the next few days.

People have already started pouring in for the past few days. Officiating vice-chancellor Binay Soren during a press conference recently had said: “We solicit for cooperation from every person concerned.”