 |
Darjeeling, Oct. 18: William Shakespeare had once famously written: “If music be the food of love, play on….” In Darjeeling, music now seems to be the food for peace and the picturesque town is too willing to play on.
The hills are gearing up to host four festivals in the next three months for tourists, in a clear message that peace is to last for long here after three years of strife and uncertainties.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which had led the statehood agitation for three years, has taken the lead by organising a cultural festival in Darjeeling and Kurseong.
The fest was attended by Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the opening day at the Mall on October 12. The event will continue till October 30.
As soon as the curtain falls on the Morcha-sponsored event, a six-day Himalayan Festival will kick off at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club and Chowrastha on November 10. The Vaishnu Devi Musical Task Force, a voluntary organisation consisting of members from various walks of life, will organise the Himalayan Festival.
“The festival is being organised keeping in mind the tourism season and to send a positive message from the hills,” said Bimal Jhawar, one of the organisers of the event. The festival will have cultural programmes and a rock fest.
“Fifteen bands, five from Darjeeling and the rest from across India, will take part in the Great Himalayan Rock Fest to be held as part of the Himalayan Festival. The local bands will be selected during an audition to be held in Darjeeling on October 30,” said Avinash Prasad, another organiser. Cleave from Manipur, Off from Nagaland, and Sinister Violence and Third Eye from Darjeeling have been invited as guest bands.
The Himalayan Festival is not only about rock shows. “There will be cultural dances, marathon rallies, bike rallies, sit-and-draw competition and other programmes to showcase the culture of the hills,” said Jhawar.
After the November event, an Orange Festival is slated to be held in Darjeeling as announced by Mamata Banerjee. The dates have, however, not yet been finalised.
The state government has announced another festival also for the hills. Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival will start on December 20 and will continue till January 5, 2012.
“We have already finalised the logo and the mascot — a red panda — for the event and preparations are on in full swing,” said Sonam Bhutia, the deputy magistrate who is overseeing the preparations for the event.
It is not just in Darjeeling that music, art and culture have suddenly found a new lease of life. In Kurseong, a group of art students who have studied in various art colleges across India has been holding an exhibition titled ‘Vision and Creation’ at the Gorkha Community hall.
Kamlesh Pradhan, an organiser and an artist, said: “We have exhibited 132 paintings of artists from not only India but also from our friends in Japan and Thailand. This is an effort to develop awareness about culture, art and music in our place and to expose budding hill artists to others’ works.”
An art competition for school students was held as part of the exhibition that began on Friday.
TT
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?