After organising the Poush Mela in Purbapally Ground in Santiniketan last year successfully, the Birbhum district administration is gearing up to organise the Basanta Utsav, this year.
Poush Mela and the Basanta Utsav are the two biggest cultural and heritage festivals of Santiniketan and draw huge crowds. They play a key role in boosting the local economy through tourism. People from all over the globe come here to witness the Poush Mela and basanta Utsav. The rooms of all homestays, resorts and hotels are sold out during these two festivals.
The Birbhum district administration organised the five-day Poush Mela within a very short time after both the Visva-Bharati University (VBU) and the Shantiniketan Trust jointly announced to cancel the festival citing limited time to organise such a mega event.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had virtually inaugurated the Poush Mela from Kolkata. It was due to her keen interest, the district administration organised the Poush Mela, in which over 1,200 stalls were set up.
On conditions, the VBU had handed over the Purbapally Ground to the Birbhum district administration. The local administration is now working on a war footing to clean the Purbapally Ground within the next two days and hand it over back to the VBU authority as per the condition.
Kajal Sheikh, sabhadhipati of Birbhum zilla parishad himself was present today to supervise the progress of the cleaning work of the ground. Both Kajal Sheikh and Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Roy claimed that the district administration is now planning to organise the Basanta Utsav.
“We are now planning to hold the Basanta Utsav in Santiniketan and will submit a written proposal very soon to the VBU authority,” said Kajal Sheikh.