Forest minister Jogesh Burman lights the lamp at the inauguration of the festival. Picture by Diptendu Dutta

Siliguri, Feb. 7: The Teesta Ganga Utsav, which completed its seventh year today, apparently has not matured with the passage of time.

The utsav is held every year as an attempt to fight the onslaught of globalisation on the cultural heritage of the region through the revival of songs like the Bhawaia, Rava and the folklore of north Bengal tribes like Mech, Dhimal and Toto.

?The objective is to present these cultures on a common platform alongside popular cultural activities from the other side of the Ganga,? said forest minister Jogesh Burman, who inaugurated the festival today.

The two-day version of the festival for this district began today at a ground in the Shivmandir area. But, judging by the lacklustre crowd present, the festival is losing out on its glamour and as a member of the audience quipped, becoming like ?any other government programme?.

The minister said, ?Like our economics, agriculture and politics, our cultural heritage is also passing through a severe crisis because of the effects of globalisation.? The need of the hour is to save the coming generations from the liberalised ?modern? culture that globalisation is bringing about, he said.

?Since Bengal?s civilisation has grown up around its rivers, this festival has been named Teesta-Ganga Utsav, Burman explained. ?The idea is to create a bridge between the cultural aspects of the Ganga-fed South Bengal and the Teesta-fed North Bengal. And for that, the government?s initiative is not sufficient at all,? he added. He termed this initiative as a part of the Left Front government?s movement to preserve the cultural heritage of Bengal.

The inaugural function was also attended by the sabhadipati of the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad Mani Thapa and sabhapati of Matigara Panchayat Samiti Choton Kisku, among others.

The festival, which is jointly being organised by the Mahakuma Parishad and the Panchayat Samiti, would stage artists from both sides of the Ganga, including eminent thespian from Calcutta, Bijay Laxmi Burman.

Though Burman and Thapa hailed this festival as a platform custom-made to bridge Bengal?s diversified cultural heritage, there was a distinctive lacking of proper involvement on the organisers? part. At least a good number in the audience, some of whom were cultural activists, felt so.