In a 1st, Poush Mela in Shantiniketan to be 6-day affair
Times of India | 26 November 2024
123 Santiniketan/Kolkata: For the first time, Poush Mela will be held for six days at the Purba Palli Ground. This decision was taken at a meeting attended by university officials, members of the Santiniketan Trust, and officials from the Birbhum district administration on Monday at the office of Visva-Bharati's (VB) officiating Vice-Chancellor.
Honorary secretary of the Santiniketan Trust, Anil Konar, said, "Usually, it (the fair) is held as a four-day event, but all the concerned persons expressed their wish to extend it by two days.IPL 2025 mega auctionIPL Auction 2025: Who went where and for how muchIPL 2025 All Team Squads: Complete list of players of each franchiseWe agreed to it. The proposal will be sent to the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body."
After a gap of five years, the VBand the Santiniketan Trust are jointly organising the traditional Poush Mela. The organizers also discussed about seeking financial assistance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also is the Acharya of VB, and chief minister Mamata Banerjee for conducting the event at the meeting, sources claimed. In 2019, VB had received Rs 40 lakh from the Prime Minister for holding the fair after it sought financial aid.
Bolpur MLA and minister, Chandranath Sinha, who also attended the meeting on Monday, said, "The district administration will extend help to the organisers and we hope to jointly resolve all issues." Law and order, traffic, administration, water supply, lighting, cleaning, and sanitation issues were also discussed at the meeting. Registrar of VB, Ashok Mahato, said, "The university authority and Santiniketan Trust will jointly form various sub-committees."
Last Tuesday, interim VC Binay Kumar Soren and environmentalist Subhas Dutta had discussed NGT guidelines to ensure conducting an eco-friednly event.