Ritabrata Bhattacharya (second from right) with JMM chief Shibu Soren during the screening of Basanta Utsav at Plaza Cinema in Ranchi on Sunday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Slurp! The culture-loving Bengali can dig into a sumptuous feast right from Poila Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, to Panchishey Baishakh, beloved writer Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary.

As Bengalis across Jharkhand welcome year 1420 on Monday with sweets, new clothes, mutton curry and poetic text messages, the ones living in Ranchi are unveiling a month-long culture calendar on Sunday evening itself.

Basanta Utsav, a film made by journalist-turned-film-maker Ritabrata Bhattacharya, was screened at Plaza Cinema to kick-start a series of programmes that will conclude on May 9, Nobel Laureate Tagore’s birth anniversary. Newly formed Bengali Yuva Manch is screening the film.

To mark Poila Baishakh, Majlish and Union Club and Library will host programmes on Monday. Majlish will present an event featuring local artistes, while Calcutta singer Alok Roy Choudhury will perform at the Union Club and Library.

From April 16, comes a four-day event of Basanti Puja Committee (HEC Sector-II) follows. “This year, established Ranbibdra Sangeet singer from Calcutta, Indrani Sen, as well as band Mohul, will perform on April 17 and 18, respectively,” said Subhashis Mitra, programme coordinator.

Next in line is the 14th Bangla Sanskritik Mela. Barring a gap in 2003, this mela is a yearly feature of Bengali Association (Jharkhand) since 1999.

The three-day show will begin on April 26 with a slew of attractions — dance drama, theatre, recitation and singing. Singers include well-known names Lopamudra Mitra and Jeet Ganguly. A Nandikar production, Agnatobaas, directed by theatre legend Rudraprasad Sengupta, is another draw,” said Supriyo Bhattacharya, the mela convener. “Youngsters will enjoy the live band Sahar,” he added. Bangla Sanskritik Mela is also a great meeting place for old friends. Cha-and-adda on the sidelines is an event in itself.

The last of the month-long programmes will be Tagore tributes in and around May 9, Tagore’s birth anniversary.

Residents of other communities in melting pot Jharkhand are also looking forward to their own celebrations.

Before global warming put April into the sweaty summer slot, the month was about salubrious spring, the season of renewal. Indian calendars, by and large, herald new year in April — Ugadi and Puthandu in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra’s Gudi Padwa, Assam’s Rongali Bihu and Punjab’s Vaisakhi, Bengal’s Poila Baisakh and Chaitra Pratipada, which is celebrated by large sections of residents in Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and more.

Which event on the culture calendar will you attend? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com