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Weekend events you can’t miss in Kolkata (Feb 20-22)
Explore art, music, theatre, and comedy in Kolkata this weekend with exhibitions, live concerts, stand-up shows, and heritage celebrations for all ages
Framed futures
What: Children’s Art Exhibition & Competition showcases works by young artists across age groups, organized by COG India Art Foundation. The exhibition is part of the foundation’s ongoing children’s art initiative, often linked to its Chhobi-O-Ghor programme, which focuses on nurturing early visual expression. The displayed works span drawing, painting, and mixed media, reflecting imagination, observation, and personal storytelling. Functioning as both an exhibition and a learning platform, the event allows children to present their work publicly, interact with peers and mentors, and experience the process of exhibiting art in a gallery setting.
When: February 20 and 21 (Friday and Saturday)
Where: Bengal Gallery, ICCR
Entry: Prices start at ₹900
Wit without warning
What: Nishant Suri Live is a stand-up solo shaped by the comedian’s deadpan delivery, sharp writing, and self-aware humour. Since his Comicstaan win, Suri has built his sets around personal detours—from engineering and banking to photography and comedy—turning life’s misdirections into dry, reflective humour. His material explores awkward social behaviour, existential doubt, aging, and the strange logic of modern life, delivered through measured pauses and understated punchlines. Experience a single-voice set defined by his distinct, offbeat comic perspective.
When: February 22 (Sunday), 5 pm
Where: The Cult by The Bikers Cafe
Entry: Prices start at ₹499
Binodini Opera returns
What: Noti Binodini Dasi’s life comes alive once again on stage in Binodini Opera, presented by Aparajito and directed by Abanti Chakraborty. The production chronicles the story of the 19th-century theatre icon, with Sudipta Chakraborty in the lead role. The musical traces her rise within the Bengali stage, moving through performance, public acclaim, and the social constraints faced by women in theatre during that era. Combining drama, song, and staged narration, the production revisits the early world of proscenium theatre in Bengal and the labor behind its growth.
When: February 22 (Sunday), 6.30 pm
Where: Kala Mandir
Entry: Prices start at ₹299
An evening in melody
What: Watch composer Shantanu Moitra and vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty live in concert at the BCA Musical Concert, featuring a programme that blends composed melodies with classical interpretation. The set includes selections from their collaborative project Pankh, alongside standalone pieces drawn from Moitra’s film and independent music work and Chakraborty’s Hindustani repertoire. The performance shifts between band-backed arrangements, semi-classical phrasing, and structured compositions, balancing written scores with improvisational passages.
When: February 21 (Saturday), 6 pm
Where: Nazrul Mancha
Entry: Prices start at ₹499
Language that binds us
What: Two high-energy performances kick off celebrations for International Mother Language Day. Goppo Mir’er Thek OnStage offers an evening of Bengali literature, music, and storytelling, shaped by spoken narrative and performance, anchored by host, actor, and poet Mir Afsar Ali. Mori Bangla Bhasha brings together eminent artists such as Baisakhi Chowdhury, Kharaj Mukhopadhyay, and Srikanto Acharya, among others, to reflect on Bangla as memory, identity, and lived culture. Both programs, distinct in their own ways, use voice, text, and song to showcase and honour a rich literary tradition and vibrant linguistic heritage.
When: February 21 (Saturday), 4 pm (Goppo Mir’er Thek); 5.30 pm (Mori Bangla Bhasha)
Where: Bhasha Bhavan (Goppo Mir’er Thek), Kala Mandir (Mori Bangla Bhasha)
Entry: Prices start at ₹599 (Goppo Mir’er Thek), and at ₹600 (Mori Bangla Bhasha)
Threads and traditions
What: Trace marks the Chanakya School’s first solo exhibition in India, presenting textile-based works informed by research into indigenous techniques and inherited craft knowledge. Led by Karishma Swali, the practice draws on hand processes, material study, and collaborative making, linking traditional textile labour with contemporary artistic thought. The works explore thread, surface, and structure as carriers of memory, time, and transmission. Blending craft with concept, the exhibition highlights how handmaking remains relevant in contemporary practice, emphasizing process, skill, and shared textile traditions.
When: Till March 21
Where: Experimenter Ballygunge
Entry: Free
