Pimpri: Songs like ‘Ore bhai phagun legeche bone bone, Aj shobar ronge-rong mishate hobe, Ore griho bashi’, by Rabindranath Tagore resonated, confirming the coming of the spring. And the Bengali community of the city did not lose the opportunity to celebrate it.  In a first of its kind, the Bengali community of Pimpri-Chinchwad celebrated the festival of spring ‘Basant Utsav’ with songs, dance and poems of innumerable Bengali artistes. The event was organised under the banner ‘Hriday Basanto’ by Mridangam, a local cultural committee at Vastu Udyog, Pimpri, on Sunday.

Dancers performed draped in sarees, typical Shantiniketan style attires of vibrant colours of spring - like green, yellow, orange and red. Themed on ‘Hridoy Basanto Bone’, a team of Upassana demonstrated different phrases and songs on love by Tagore. While Mridangam celebrated spring in various forms from Nazrul geeti, classics and others describing the festival.

The celebration was followed by a mellifluous singing performance by renowned folk singer from West Bengal Sanchari Bandopadhyay, who performed on various musicals from ‘go where glory with thee’ - in Irish tone of a Tagore song, folk songs based on Radha-Krishna and holi celebration in Mathura, Bihu festival in Assam and many more.

Speaking about the initiative, convenor of Mridangam, Prosenjit Bhattacharya, said, “We sensed a lack of cultural development in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Section of music lovers from here often go to Pune to experience the treat of different cultural events organised there. 

As one of the music lovers, we felt that what if we could bring the essence of those cultural events for our fellow residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad.”