PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 15: State health minister Banna Gupta on Friday inaugurated the centenary celebration of the Bengal Club at Sakchi. Local MLA from Jamshedpur East assembly constituency Saryu Roy also graced the function.
Gupta inaugurated the club which underwent a complete renovation. He also inaugurated a banquet hall which will be used for commercial purposes.
The centenary celebration coincided with the Bengali New Year celebration also known as Poila Baisakh.
The minister and Saryu Roy wished the Bengali community on the occasion.
The Bengal Club president Tapas Mitra and other senior functionaries were present on the occasion.
One of the oldest clubs of Jamshedpur, The Bengal Club will hold a three-day programme with a whiff of traditional cuisine to excite taste buds along with the celebratory adrenaline.
The first day featured the inaugural fare with the traditional blowing of the conch shell to usher in happiness followed by the melody of Shehnai by a musical team from Kolkata. Popular artist Biplab Roy will ensure that the entire Bengal Club depicts the culture and tradition of Bengal that this institution has ensconced through 100 years of changing times.
On the second day tomorrow, it will be dedicated to events through 100 years of the Bengal Club. The icing on the cake will be the performance of two internationally reputed artists, Pandit Tanmay Bose and Ustad Aman Ali Bangash to make the evening a memorable sojourn for music lovers.
The final day of celebrations on April 17 will comprise an aura of ethereal joy with semi-classical music by the famed duo of Sourendra and Soumyajit.
Apart from the three days of celebration, the Bengal Club has chalked out special events for the entire year.
Famed danseuse and director Alokananda Roy and her dance troupe will perform on May 15 to dance into the hearts of people with delightful combinations of dance forms.
The other events to be rolled out by the Club throughout the year will include the All India Yogasana Competition.
A bodybuilding and powerlifting competition in June and July a drama festival with theatrical presentations by masters of theatre Gautam Haldar, Deb Shankar Haldar and Manashi Sinha ( in August), Grand celebration of Durgotsav and Bijoya Sammelani (September-October) and this will be followed up by a Poush Mela in January next year.