Photos: Debrup Chaudhuri
Day Two of Poila Parbon – Poila Kintu Ekla Noy, an initiative by Mindshaft Media, with My Kolkata as the digital media partner, was double the fun. Bangla bands Chandrabindoo and Cactus took centre stage on Sunday, April 13. The Boimela Prangon grounds were packed to the rafters as Kolkatans dropped by for food, fashion, music and a whole lot more.
Cactus stole the show with one banger after another, with the crowd singing along to each song, including the iconic number Sei Je Holud Pakhi. Ahead of their performance, Abhijit Barman, aka Pata, spoke to My Kolkata. When asked which songs he was excited to perform, he said “We have just launched an album as well as an EP. Performing them live today will give us an understanding of how the crowd received it.” Each song was well appreciated with Pata and Cactus getting cheered on between songs.
Speaking about the event, Pata said, “I think Poila Parbon is a fantastic event. To have Fossils, Chandrabindoo, Cactus, Imon and Fakira as the line up over four days is amazing. And you can see it from the reaction of the crowd.” The band ended the night by performing Bhalo Theko, which resonated across the venue.
Chandrabindoo performed before Cactus, and they got the crowd grooving and feeling nostalgic. Memories flooded back to while listening to Bindeshi Tara and other Chandrabindoo originals. Anindya Chatterjee said, “This crowd was fantastic. The way they have been loving us all these years shows the meaning of sustainable music. Songs have to be sustainable, otherwise the audience wouldn’t love us like they have for all these years.”
Speaking about Poila Parbon, Anindya said “This is a great platform for Bengali music. Before we took to the stage you could see how many talented bands are coming up in the Battle of the Bands. We need more events like this to give Bangla music a boost.”
Craftswomen from Midnapore have set up stalls with several handicraft items on display. They said each piece is handpainted, so it takes about five days to complete them. They had items like ashtrays, cups, kettles, door hooks, coasters and more on display at these stalls.
Cosplayers turned up in the form of their favourite characters with a touch of Bangaliana added to the costumes. There was also a stall selling funky printed T-shirts with most having a Bengali connect, be it in words or the printed text.
Titles sponsors Fortune Edible Oils and Foods set up a stall where patrons played a few fun games from which winners would bag some goodies.