Every year during Durga Puja street musicians from Bengal come together to celebrate their artistic brilliance and age-old folk traditions. India is diverse in its culture and boasts a rich heritage — with myriad traditions upheld by many communities, leaving you awestruck. Art and culture are deeply embedded within our society but the likes of some are slowly dwindling into obscurity. However, each year Kolkata’s festive season begins with a showcase that excavates Bengal’s age-old folk traditions and cultural brilliance. Organised by The Dreamers Music and presented by Shyam Sundar Co. Jewellers, Kolkata Street Music Festival Season 4 — a prelude to the festive season — was held on Southern Avenue in association with Chapter 2. The event was supported by Soma Das, Ananya Pal and Surojit Kala.
Accompanied by instruments like dhak, dhol, dhamsa, madol, chhau dancers of Purulia performed Mahishasur Mardini. National Award-winning patachitra artistes from Midnapore performed Durga-themed pater gaan and Bohurupi artistes of Birbhum presented Akaal bodhan of Ma Durga. It was a bright spectacle for the rich legacy of street musicians. However, their talent and offerings from one generation to another have formulated a big chunk of Bengali culture and they’ve played an integral role in celebrations. Starting from wedding ceremonies to festivals, the artistes earn from their performances on the streets.
“It’s a tribute to musicians who make a living through performing on the streets. It’s a calendar event by The Dreamers as the Mountain Music Festival. We love to celebrate the unsung heroes of our culture through such initiatives. This year we celebrated Durga through various art forms and music,” said Sudipta Chanda of The Dreamers Music.
Some young street artistes of Kolkata like Nilanjan Saha, Third Stage and Aniket Ghosh performed too. Chandrima Bhattacharya presented her Pujor gaan and the students of Riddhi Bandyopadhyay Music Academy sang Durga Agomani songs. A flute seller from Park Street, Mohammed Ibran played the Hindi number Bade achhe lagte hai on his flute; Tarun Goswami mesmerised with his singing and whistling, bagpiper Ramesh Nayak, singers Aritra Mukhopadhyay, Madhurya Mukhopadhyay, together made the event a special one. Rupak Saha, director of Shyam Sundar Co. Jewellers, felicitated all the musicians and artistes at the event.
Pictures: Kolkata Street Music Festival