Members of Bhorer Nil Akash, the EE Park-based laughing club, on August 15, hoisted the National flag and performed patriotic songs, dances, and recitations, but not at the cost of exercises.
“We held this event to inspire one another to serve the nation, but to do so, we must be physically fit,” said Ratikanta Dandapath, the club’s secretary. “So we began with yoga and a laughter therapy session before moving on to cultural shows.”
The event featured a scripted musical item directed by Amita Guha, with the script written and recited by Jamuna Dey. “We were planning a tribute to poets Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul Islam and Sukanta Bhattacharya earlier, but it didn’t materialise. So in today’s event, we included nationalistic elements from works by these poets,” Guha explained. The chorus presented songs like Tagore’s Jodi tor dak, Nazrul’s Karar oi louho kopat, and Sukanta’s Abak Prithibi, accompanied by simultaneous dance performances by Nandita Basu, Kalpana Sen Majumdar and Ranjana Karmakar.
Karmakar is a new member of the club, barely two weeks old. “It was during rehearsals that I bonded with new friends,” said the EE Block resident, who is also a dance teacher. “I get my exercise through dancing, but I joined this club to make laughter a part of my life.”
Mandira Dandapath recited Sukanta’s Cigarette, a poem that personifies cigarettes to reflect the plight of the oppressed. “Words have the power to ignite minds,” she said. “Freedom-fighters would boldly recite The Gita or chant Vande mataram, drawing courage to face the gallows with a smile. That’s what we aim to evoke with our recitation.”
The event had members sharing responsibilities. Tapan Bhattacharya played the harmonium, Surajit Basu the tabla, Biplab Pal handled photography, and Debabrata Adhikari and Nabin Sen managed refreshments. With 60 attendees, the turnout exceeded expectations, leading to a shortage of snacks, in fact, and the food committee had to rush to replenish supplies.
Sujit Gupta, one of the club’s presidents, attended despite back pain, having popped a painkiller. Similarly, Subhas Samaddar and Jharna Maitra, who had recently recovered from illnesses, joined the event to inspire others.