It was indeed an honour for some of our young Columbans to be a part of the annual event,the Poush Mela,organised by the Bengali Literary Society,at St. Stephen’s College,on 11th February,’19.
It was a special event based on the annual’ Poush Mela ‘,held at Shantiniketan,instituted by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and his family. It aimed at creating an awareness of the indigenous culture of Bengal.
Aniruddha Majumdar,student 8C ..’’ I had a wonderful time at the colourful winter carnival, the Poush Mela,held at St.Stephen’s College. We were greeted by students dressed in traditional attire.We were entertained with a Baul song from Murshidabad and an enthralling Chau Dance from Purulia. We participated in the Patachitra painting workshop by S. Chitrakar,who fascinated us with her stories painted on long scrolls. It was indeed a great experience to interact with such talented artists and learn about one of the most culturally prosperous states of India!”
Aditya Bagh, student 4B…… ‘’The Patachitra artists showed us how to make natural colours, like yellow out of turmeric, red out of saffron seeds,etc . The handmade paint brushes made out of goat and squirrel hair ,the handwoven bamboo containers and other handicrafts, caught my interest. It was indeed a remarkable experience for me.”
Mohnish Dutta,student 5B….. ‘’ It was indeed a great privilege for me to attend the Poush Mela, at the lawns of St,Stephen’s College. I met the Baul singers and the warrior dancers from Bengal. The most exciting was Patachitra- the art of telling stories through a series of paintings. It was a beautiful experience for me as I got an opportunity to witness and embrace the culture of Bengal.’’
Mrs H Devnath
