Chandigarh, April 17
The Bangiya Sanskritik Sammilani (BSS), Chandigarh celebrated the Bengali New Year ‘Pohela Boishak’ with immense pride, enthusiasm and great sense of belongingness keeping alive the centuries old traditional legacy of Bengal at the precincts of Banga Bhawan.
Cultural integration has been a great unifying factor in a diverse country like ours and BSS has done this yeoman’s service exceptionally well for the last fifty years in Chandigarh said Col Deepak De, SM (R), Gen Secy, BSS.
Members presented an open-air theatrical spectre ‘Jatra’ reminiscent of several centuries old bengali musical theatre form. Historic significance, social harmony and religious tolerance were the key takeaways from the absorbing presentation of the Jatra named – ‘Bangali’, taking the audience back to the sixteenth century Bharat during battles fought between rulers of Delhi with the Bengal empire.
Jatra (যাত্রা) is a traditional Bengali stage drama, known for its open-air performances, musical storytelling, and melodramatic acting. It blends dialogue, songs, and dance to depict mythological, historical, or social themes, and is especially popular in rural Bengal.
Cultural head, Bhabani Pal & the Coordinator, Anjana Menon mustered 30 characters from the members of the Sammilani namely Dalim Chatterjee-(Director), Jaymalya Sengupta, Biswajit Sen, Subhashish Neogi, Sandeep Chatterjee, Sunil Chatterjee, Sankar Santra, Dipak Thakur, Anubhav Sen, Angan Roy, Ambika Kulavi, Tamisra Bannerji, Samita Dutta, Boshudha Bodhopadhyay, Kajol Chatterjee, Supriya Sengupta, Projusha, Vanshika, Umica, Aradhya, Ashish Dey, Dipankar Das, Prabal Mitra.
The mega show saw a packed house, a scintillating projection of the rich legacy of Bengal followed by a typical bangla delectable ratri bhoj with machher jhol (fish curry) & rice, an all-time favourite cuisine of Bengal.
