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Lucknow’s bengali community celebrates Basanto Utsav
The inspiration for this event stems from Rabindranath Tagore and his educational institution, Shantiniketan, in West Bengal, where it has been an annual event for ages.
Basanto Utsav, a musical festival, took place at the Bengali Club on Sunday to welcome the new season, marked by the falling of old leaves from the trees in the lukewarm sunlight of Phagun, known for its prosperity.
The inspiration for this event stems from Rabindranath Tagore and his educational institution, Shantiniketan, in West Bengal, where it has been an annual event for ages.
The Bengali Club, along with the Youngmen’s Association and the ‘Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan’, leading organisations of the Bengali-speaking community located on Hewett Road in Lucknow, endeavoured to revive this tradition.
The Basanto Utsav at the Bengali Club featured dance and music performances under the direction of Pratibha Banerjee, along with the group ‘Palak’ from Batanagar, West Bengal, and local artists from Lucknow, including Deboshree Banerjee, Sarmishta Tiwari, and Sinigdha, who presented Rabindra Sangeet.
The programme was inaugurated by the chief guest, Bulbal Munshi, followed by a dance performance to Rabindra Sangeet by Mishti Bhattacharya. Competitions in Rangoli, Art, and conch blowing were also held. Attendees enjoyed various delicacies at this spring festival. An attempt was made to pay tribute to Rabindranath Tagore through this programme, said Manoj Kumar Banerjee, cultural secretary of the club.
