Bolpur: The iconic Poush Mela, the heritage winter festival of Santiniketan, which is beginning after a four-year hiatus, will be bereft of participants from Bangladesh, a country that has been in turmoil since its former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to escape to India over life threat on August 5. The fair, held on the seventh day of Bengali month 'Poush' which falls in late December, was first organised by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Visva-Bharati founder Rabindranath Tagore, in 1894 to showcase the handicrafts, heritage and culture of Bengal, particularly Birbhum district.
Beginning Monday, this year's Poush Mela, which is known for participants across geographies, is losing some of its its sheen. Blame it on turmoil in Bangladesh. There will be no stall from Bangladesh in the Poush Mela this time. There won't be stalls from countries like Nepal and Bhutan either. After 2019, Maharishi's Shantiniketan Trust and Visva-Bharati authorities are organising the Poush Mela again. This is the first time that the traditional Poush Mela won't be international in essence at the World Heritage Santiniketan. However, everyone hopes that the Poush Mela will regain its international status next year.
Anil Konar, the secretary of the Santiniketan Trust, said, "The Poush Mela can't be called an international fair this time. Due to the unrest in Bangladesh, there won't be stalls from Bangladesh. It is also distressing that there are no participants from Nepal and Bhutan. I really hope the situation changes next year."
Bhramar Bhandari, the joint convener of the Poush Mela committee, said, "It is disheartening that the situation resulted in the absence of participants from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan in Poush Mela." In 1843, Maharshi Debendranath Tagore was initiated into Brahmoism by Ramchandra Vidyabagish. However, in a break from tradition, the fair will be held for six days instead of four as had been the practice so far, Visva-Bharati spokesperson Atig Ghosh said after a meeting among all stakeholders. “As all the persons concerned wanted to extend the Poush Mela for two more days we too agreed,” said Anil Konar, an official of Santiniketan Trust.
The fair will be held for six days and will be wound up within another two days. Earlier on November 13, Visva-Bharati University and Santiniketan Trust decided to organise the fair on a grand scale. The Visva Bharati and the Santiniketan Trust had backed out after initially deciding to hold the century-old fair in 2023 citing time constraints to hold it on a grand scale.
West Bengal government had then stepped in and a far smaller winter fair was organised during the same period of the Poush Mela by the administration last December. Since 1951, the Poush Mela has been organised by Visva-Bharati in collaboration with the Trust and with support from the West Bengal government. The Trust, also set up by Debendranath Tagore, owns around 11 bighas in and around the varsity campus. The fair was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and again in 2022 because of infrastructural difficulties faced by the organisers.
