Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
CULTURAL HUES TO POUSH MELA
Sunday brought a splash of cultural hues from Bengal at Poush mela. Thousands thronged to the sprawling ground of Bal Sabghralay at Charbagh to be a part of the annual winter carnival where handicrafts items from Shantiniketan, sandesh and jagery from Kolkata, Awadhi food and cultural performance from Bengal remained an attraction.
Organised by Bangla Bhasha Shiksha Avam Sanskriti Prasar Samiti, this was the silver jubilee year of the fair. Nupur Sen professor Lucknow University and social worker and corporate consultant Tuhin Banerjee were guest of honour. Swami Muktinathananda of Ramakrishna Math also graced the occasion.
Ladies and family members set up stalls to sell homemade sweet dishes and kheer made of jagery.
Established in 1994, in Lucknow the fair was started by samiti founder president and senior journalist PK Roy. General secretary KK Ghoshal said to add colour to the event, a number of competitions were also organised. These included rangoli, drawing, conchshell blowing, flower arrangements and musical chair contests. Children and women actively took part in all these events
As the weather remained pleasant, the fair witnessed good footfall. The festival, which marks the harvest season, is very popular at Santiniketan in Birbhum district of West Bengal. And, the mela in Lucknow is a takeoff from that.