In pics: Heatwave, festivals and more news from Kolkata

A woman braves the heat in Kolkata on Saturday afternoon. Kolkata and other districts of south Bengal have been experiencing heatwave-like conditions since April12. The weather is likely to remain the same till April 19

Sunrise of the first day of Bengali New Year 1430

Glimpses from Charak festival on Beadon Street in north Kolkata on Friday. Charak Puja is also known as Neel Puja. This ritual is performed in honour of Shiva requires male devotees to swing from a pole with hooks attached to their backs

Alpana drawn by artists on the street near Nandan on Friday ahead of Poila Baishak

Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal distributed water bottles, ORS, sunglasses and umbrellas among traffic cops at the Park Circus 7-point crossing and Shyambazar on Thursday to help them fight the heatwave-like conditions

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fan and artist Subhajit Saha paints portraits of KKR players in front of the Eden Gardens on Thursday, a day ahead of the KKR vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match in Kolkata

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the Dawat-e-Iftar at Park Circus on Wednesday

A press conference was held at Kolkata Press Club to announce the Nabo Borsho Boi Utsav which is scheduled to be held between April 16 and April 25 at Taltola ground. Dignitaries present were (from left) Sribindu Bhattacharya, vice-president, Publishers and Booksellers Guild; Debasish Kumar, MMIC and MLA; Tridib Kumar Chatterjee, general secretary of the guild; Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, president of the guild; Mousumi Das, councillor of Ward no 93 and Tapas Saha, guild treasurer

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Genius Foundation and Ascensive Edu Skill Foundation at the Hotel Hindustan International on Tuesday to present a global platform to local Chhau mask artisans. The project will also focus on developing markets and boost sales for them at the national and international levels. Special emphasis will be given to educate the artisans on modern packaging techniques

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee rolled out 30 new advanced life support ambulances from Nabanna on Monday. These ambulances come with oxygen support, portable suction, and trauma-care facilities. These will be available in all districts of Bengal. Mayor Firhad Hakim was also present at the event