Bengali fair for Bangaloreans

Bengali fair for Bangaloreans
- By By Sreemoyee Piu Kundu , The Asian Age


Bangalore, June 27: For the two-lakh plus Bengali residents of the Garden City, there’s much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Bangla Utsav a weeklong socio cultural extravaganza which started on Sunday, promises Bangaloreans an enticing experience of Bengali arts, crafts, food, music and dance complete with an exhaustive soiree of cultural programmes by renowned artists from Bengal and Karnataka. “There are numerous Durga pujas held all over the city each year,” says Mr Tapas K. Dutta, chief executive of Upasana Advantage, the organisers of this gala event, who was an active member of the fund raising committee of the Jayamahal Durga Puja Committee.
In its 50th year, the members proposed to raise funds through an annual cultural fiesta that would not just bring the most wanted stars of Bengal within the reach of Bangaloreans but also exhibit the finest handicrafts, textiles and food items synonymous with Shonar Bangla.
“The event will witness the presence of luminaries like writer Sunil Gangopadhyay, director Aparna Sen, danseuse Mamata Shankar and musicians including Lopamudra and the popular rock band Bhoomi,” adds Mr Datta.
The exhibition displays a wide array of goodies ranging from Bengal taaths, Baluchari saris, kantha work kurta sets, jute jewellery, bags and slippers, murals, artefacts and leather products from diverse parts of Bengal to batik and block printed ensembles from the artisans of Shantiniketan. An exclusive crafts pavilion sponsored by the directorate of cottage and small scale industries of the West Bengal government, demonstrates live, the making of

handicrafts by the craftspersons themselves. “Of course no Bengali function is complete without sumptuous food and we have a varied range of stalls, taken up by the Bengali citizens of the city which serve everything from samosas, chaats, Chinese cuisine, Mughlai paranthas, kathi rolls to the most wanted rasogullas and other delectable savouries,” says Mr Dutta.
While the event has attracted much publicity among the Bengali population, its website (www.banglautsav.com) is being visited by a wide range of cosmopolitan non-Bengalis. “Our road show team comprising young Bangla warriors had hit the streets of Bangalore sporting Bangla Utsav T-shirts. They openly interacted and spread the Utsav word among college students, Bengali families and Bangaloreans in general,” concludes Mr Datta.
With a large segment of the city’s IT population hailing from the land of Tagore, the organisers are hopeful that this cultural mela will soon expand both in terms of participation and spirit.