• ABOVAHIKA, A New Town CD Block-based dance institute, presented a colourful musical show celebrating the advent of spring.
Held at the open-air stage of Nazrul Tirtha, the programme drew audiences of different ages enjoying Tagore’s music on the season. Dancers in yellow attire, bedecked with floral garlands, looked vibrant as they swayed gracefully to the song Neel digante.
The choir included singers young and old who presented spring songs. A group of young girls brightened up the stage with their rhythmic steps, just like new green leaves flutter in the spring breeze as described in their song Ora akarane chanchal.
The charm of the spring festival could be felt as the dancers tossed Palash flowers all around while dancing to Rangiye diye jao go ebar.
“We had expected the show to be a great one with such experienced singers, musicians, teachers and hardworking students taking part. And it did turn out to be refreshing,” said Rail Vihar resident Adrita Mitra, a medical student whose younger sister was a participant.
“We don’t need to go anywhere else as we can enjoy such lovely shows in New Town itself. There is ample scope of getting ourselves involved in such cultural activities,” said Malini Das, a resident of CE Block.
Saraswati Chatterjee, a 68-year-old who described herself to be a “lover of cultural programmes”, has been watching the group’s programmes for long and felt that with the passage of time the standard of the performances was getting better.
“We often criticise the present generation for ignoring our tradition and culture. But in reality, they are eager to hold on to our cultural treasures if they are properly guided,” said Tapas Adhikary, one of the organisers. “Our aim is to make this generation carry our cultural heritage forward.”
Mahua Bhattacharya Adhikary, director of Abovahika, said they taught Bharatnatyam but the day’s dances were Rabindranritya. “We provide a classical base and do not allow deviation from the original style traditionally followed in Santinikatan. We don’t encourage fusion that has become a common practice nowadays,” she said, after performing a solo dance to the song Kusume kusume.
Poet remembered
• AT LEAST 120 women in identical green saris hit the stage singing Karar oi louho kopat at Nazrul Tirtha to commemorate the 125th birth nniversary of Kazi Nazrul Islam.
The event was organised by Chhayanat, a Kestopur-based cultural organisation with 1,000-plus members.
The artists sang both Nazrulgeeti and Rabindrasangeet. The evening also saw participation from other cultural organisations such as Geetolekha, Oikotan, Nabamurchhana, Kalapi Newtown, Sanskritiki Kolkata, Geetilok Centre for Performing Arts, Suroshringo, Amra and Swaralipi.
“We have been conducting such programmes for the past 16 years,” said Chhayanat president Somerita Mallik. “This is a milestone year of the rebel poet, whose talent could not be suppressed despite persecution and imprisonment for raising his voice against the British,” she added.
His rousing song Karar oi louho kopat also completes 100 years, a milestone being marked on both sides of the Indo-Bangladesh border. The group performed the song not only to celebrate it but also to protest its distortion in the Hindi film Pippa last year, which had created a huge controversy.
The event was inaugurated by academician, writer, and linguist Pabitra Sarkar and attended, among others, by chairman of the state minorities commission Ahmed Hassan (Imran), and poet Sayed Hasmat Jalal.
The group also honoured elocutionist Urmimala Bose, writer Semanti Ghosh, and Ghazala Yasmin, who teaches journalism and mass communication at Aliah University.
Haat returns
• THE SPACE under the Axis Mall flyover has come alive again with colourful ware as Sonajhuri Haat has reconvened for Nava Varsha. About 60-65 artisans will sit from 11am to 9pm with sheetalpati bags from Cooch Behar, patachitra from East Midnapore, coir mats from West Midnapore, kantha stitch dresses from Birbhum, silk and khadi clothes from Murshidabad and taanter sari from Phulia. There will also be jewellery with traditional symbols. The fair will be on till Sunday. A jhumur team from Birbhum will also perform.