Santiniketan’s traditional Poush Mela — marred by the Covid-induced pandemic and many other controversies in the past two years — has made a comeback of sorts under a new name this year, Bolpur-Santiniketan Poush Mela, 2022, at the Dakbungalow ground. The six-day fair this time offers handmade art and craft, fabric, paintings, tons of intricate artwork besides a wide array of sip-and-bite options. Various cultural programmes showcasing the culture of Bolpur Santiniketan are also keeping visitors entertained. On December 23, Kolkata mayor and minister of urban development and municipal affairs and housing Firhad Hakim inaugurated (in picture above) the modified version of the heritage fair started by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore, in 1894 to promote produce of rural Santiniketan art and craft before the urban populace
All images by Saptaparno Roy