Demand is growing in Santiniketan for the resumption of the Poush Mela — the annual winter fair that began in the fading years of the nineteenth century — but Visva-Bharati is refusing to warm up to the idea.
The fair, which showcases local culture and craft, is organised by the Santiniketan Trust but traditionally the university has played a key role in its conduct, right from giving space for the stalls to deploying its staff, including teachers, to manage the event.
During its long history, the fair has been interrupted only thrice so far — due to the famine of 1943, the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 and the pandemic in 2020. Those hit hardest by the scrapping of the event in 2020 — particularly local artisans and traders already hit by the pandemic — were hoping for the Poush Mela to resume this year but the university hasn’t responded to their pleas so far.
With not even 10 days to go for its traditional inauguration — it usually begins around December 23 — and no word so far from Visva-Bharati, it appears unlikely that the event would be held this year. “There is no plan on the part of the university to hold the Poush Mela this year,” a university official told The Hindu, emphatic but asking not to be named.
Last month, the Bolpur municipality (under whose jurisdiction Santiniketan falls) wrote to the university saying it was willing to take up the responsibility of conducting the fair provided it was given the venue, but it got no response. The Santiniketan Trust is also learned to have written to the university saying it was willing to conduct the event if the Visva-Bharati gave it land, water and electricity, but it too got no response. Local traders also wrote to the university administration while Baul singers (who perform at the fair) staged a protest, but the university offered no reaction.
Local organisations are now planning to hold an alternative fair at a different venue but which will be held around the same time as the Poush Mela.
