Winter treat: Now, get a slice of Shantiniketan in Balurghat

BALURGHAT: One can now find a slice of Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan in Balurghat. On the occasion of a “Pithe Puli Utsav,” Shantiniketan’s iconic Sonajhuri Haat has been replicated at the Sanket Club premises in Balurghat. The festival was inaugurated by the Consumer Protection Minister Biplab Mitra on Saturday. It will continue till January 16.

Biplab Mitra said: “Each month of the Bengali calendar is dotted with festivals. Poush Parbon with Pithe Puli is one of the most important festivals of Bengal. Shantiniketan, among other places, is synonymous with this festival. We can now catch a glimpse of Shantiniketan at Balurghat’s Sanket Club now. This initiative is a unique one which started in 2023 to mark the club’s 50th anniversary and in 2024 also the same tradition continues. I am proud of being a part of it.”

‘Pithes’ are made of rice flour. The rice flour dumplings are filled with grated coconut along with jaggery. ‘Gurer Payesh’ is made with freshly harvested rice boiled in milk and sweetened with jaggery. Mousumi Banerjee, a homemaker of Balurghat, is running a Pithe stall here. “Gokul-pithe, Patishapta, Doodh-puli and Ranga-aloo-pitha are commonly prepared Pithas during the Bengali month of Poush. One can get all these Pithas at my stall. People want to avoid the trouble of preparing these Pithas at home, hence the demand for these items are high” stated Banerjee.

An organiser, said: “There are 60 stalls in total here. Out of these 38 stalls are from Shantiniketan. One can find popular Pithe puli along with famous Mishti Doi of Bangladesh and Moa from Joynagar here. Popular Baul singers from Shantiniketan are also performing daily. We are hopeful that our effort will win the hearts of the people. The response has been overwhelming.”