Women queue up at the Beldih Kalibari on Saptami and ?Poila Baisakh?. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, April 15: The flavour of ?Poila Baisakh? may have changed over the years but the fervour hasn?t.

This was evident from the colourful celebrations that took place in the Steel City where the Bengali community gathered to wish each other ?Shubho Nabobarsho?.

Bengali food festival, folk songs, dances and line-up of events make it a perfect evening to celebrate.

The Banga Bhashi Samanvay Samiti, a city-based umbrella body of 60 Bengali organisations, organised a cultural evening at Ganesh Puja Maidan at Kadma this evening. A colourfully dressed audience lent a lively ambience to the venue.

A number of cultural programmes, including folk songs and dances, were presented in tune with the new year mood.

The highlight of the function was ?Jhumur? exponent Phani Mahato, who with his scintillating performance made the audience dance. ?Music and dance are the integral part of our community and we feel proud of its riches and cultural heritage,? said Niroo Chatterjee, an official of the samiti. He said since the new year is a moment of joy and happiness, music adds colours to the celebrations.

Chatterjee added that apart from ?Jhumar?, Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Sangeet are important music for new year celebrations.

Another fun-filled cultural night was organised at the Bengal Club by the Jharkhand Youth Bengali Association. Members of the community greeted each other and enjoyed the classical night filled with Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Sangeet.

Hotel Smita had a special Bengali buffet featuring a wide spread of dishes. At the backdrop of Rabindra Sangeet, people enjoyed delicacies such as macher jhol, Bangla pulao and aam sherbat.

Ganga International organised a Bengali food festival against the backdrop of folk music. While elders had misti doi and biryani, children were given attractive gifts.

The Milanee, one of the literary organisations, will celebrate ?Poila Baisakh? on May 7 on its premises.