It was a fun-filled evening at the Cosmos Mall, one of Siliguri’s most loved and popular family destinations, on Sunday. The Poila Baisakh celebrations there were a crowd puller, even as the Mall has promised that the festivities there would not stop until 18 April.

The preparations for the festival started on 7 April as the Mall started decorating its compound with a unique blend of ethnic and modern patterns.

The pre-promotion events started from 5 April through a canter activity. On the final day, the Bengali New Year on Sunday, the shopping centre organized a series of funfilled activities, including dance performances and folk singing by renowned singer Tapan Pandit and his family members.

The evening was further set on fire by an Antakshari competition hosted by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalist, Madhurima. The Mall also gave space to graceful, creative, artistic and colourful handicrafts prepared by masters in the sector.

Visitors at the Mall, meanwhile, could not stop but go to the food festival corner, where a variety of cuisines awaited food lovers of all ages. “We took auditions of more than 50 families to take part in the grand celebrations, which started on 7 April.

All of them, with all enthusiasm, took the auditions and they all proved their mettle in the grand finale on Monday. Our customers looked delighted and they enjoyed the New Year to the fullest, Assistant Manager- Marketing, Cosmos Mall, Kamlesh Sahu, said.

People of all ages started gathering at the Mall compound since morning and a huge crowd turned up to listen to the exquisite baul singing and be part of the attractive competitions in the evening. Wriddhi Moitra, a standard- three student who arrived at the Mall to enjoy the evening with his grandfather, said he enjoyed every bit of the events.

“The music was so heart touching. I loved the food at the food fest. We also won a silver coin after we did some shopping there.” Talking about the Bengali New Year’s eve, 65-year-old Anisha Sarkar, accompanied by her sister, Annanya Sarkar, said that the evening was a memorable one.

“Such evenings are rare these days. We want to thank the Mall for arranging such a beautiful and memorable evening for us. We will cherish it forever,” she said. “The food festival was a pleasant surprise for us. Tasting such delicacies on the Bengali New Year was a real delight for us,” she added.