In order to enrich and exchange cultural traditions and heritage between different regions, the Eastern Region Cultural Center (EZCC) under the Ministry of Culture recently organized a National Folklore Festival in collaboration with the Kerala State Department of Culture in Kollam.
Various folk traditions were performed to enrich and showcase India’s cultural heritage. The great cultural tradition of the Dinajpur district of West Bengal is the Komparagan (folk drama), which is also performed here, along with his three traditions such as Chokchandi (lyrical dance), Khojagar (lyrical dance) and Gambhira mask dance. is. Kong Palagan is a folk drama of the Rajbanshi society, narrating the daily struggles, rituals, customs, social, economic and political exploitation, and illicit romantic relationships of the common people. Therefore, Kon Paragan is considered as a mirror of Rajbanshi. society. Rajbanshi society is a major community in northern Bengal.
The event, called ‘Mission Kalakrati, Bengal-Kerala Mohotsavam – 2024’, saw the participation of around 16 ethnic artists.
said Sudev Sarkar, director of the Cone Academy and Research Center. We played Khon Paragan, Chok Chandi, Khojagal and Gambhira in Kerala. We have performed these art forms before national and international audiences to share our great cultural traditions with the world. ” There is also a regional museum, the Rajbanshi Traditional Museum, located at Kushmandi in South Dinajpur.
EZCC Director Ashis Giri said, “This is an initiative of our Chairman CV Ananda Bose, who is also the Governor of West Bengal. Under the Mission Kalakrati project, this is part of our efforts to promote cultural exchange across states. .I introduced Bengal in my column.”
EZCC is planning to hold the three-day Basanta Utsav in Santiniketan next month, which started last year. Anvil also hosts the Bengal-Kerala Festival, where the southern state is represented through Bengali cultural forms and food stalls. “Songs of Baitalik, Rabindra Nritiya, Adunik, Baul and Fakili will be performed on Basanta Utsav.”