Bengali NY, Tagore anniv celebrated with song and dance

Lucknow: Bengali community members in the city came together to celebrate Poila Baisakh, the Bengali New Year, along with the 165th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore at Kala Mandapam auditorium, on Sunday.The programme was organised by the Pravasi Bangiyo Cultural Committee and featured a traditional musical evening marked by Bengali folk music and dance performances. Highlight of the event was performance by noted Bengali singer Tirtha Bhattacharya from West Bengal, who presented Rabindra Sangeet and folk songs.He was accompanied by artists playing rare traditional instruments, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience.Folk dances were also performed to Rabindra Sangeet, while dhunuchi dance by a troupe of performers brought the evening to a close.Floral tributes were paid to Tagore’s portrait by chief guest Swami Mukthinathananda, president of Ramakrishna Math, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, senior BJP functionary Neeraj Singh, Awadh prant pracharak Kaushal, Sangh special liaison chief Prashant Bhatia, senior IAS officer Amit Ghosh and DG, UP SSF, D K Thakur.Organiser Satyabrata Dutta said the committee was also engaged in social initiatives, including women’s empowerment, environmental conservation, support for animals and birds, education and food services for children living in slums and assistance in marriages of underprivileged young women.