This Durga Puja savour the traditional Bengali festive fervour peppered with the choices of dhuns and ragas.
If you thought Durga Puja was only about religious fervour and festive revelry, then think again. Bengali Club and Youngmen’s Association has decided to go melodious this season. The club is paying a tribute to shehnai maestro Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan who passed away recently and National Song composer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Also, the Bengali Club would have a Tri-colour draped around the pandal. All this has been done in ‘due consultation’ with scholars.
A makeshift platform has been prepared inside the pandal where an artiste will play the shehnai on three days of celebrations beginning Saturday. “The National Song will be repeatedly played on the music system. This is just a humble effort on our part. We’ve tried to be a little different from other Puja Committees,” says Arun Banerji, the general secretary of the Bengali Club.
He adds: “Last year, the Bengali Club went for several innovations and this time too, we thought we would pay tribute to Bismillah Khan and the man who penned Vande Mataram. Last year, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar’s ‘Varna Parichay-Pratham bhag’ (introduction of Bengali alphabets, first part).”
On that occasion, they distributed the book free of cost to young Bengalis. The experiment was lauded, says Nirmoy Mitra, assistant general secretary of the Club.
But the decision was not all that easy for organizers. Since there was quite a controversy over the centenary celebrations of the National Song, hence the organizers smartly decided to do away with centenary word and described it as a tribute to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. But then, it’s all for the youngsters and part of the festive spirit so, welcome at that.
{{/usCountry}}But the decision was not all that easy for organizers. Since there was quite a controversy over the centenary celebrations of the National Song, hence the organizers smartly decided to do away with centenary word and described it as a tribute to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. But then, it’s all for the youngsters and part of the festive spirit so, welcome at that.
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