Akasher Canvas-e in progress at Milanee Hall at Bistupur in Jamshedpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, May. 7: The rain-swept evening and the subsequent fall in temperature added to the atmosphere as the music aficionados celebrated an evening dedicated to the bard of Bengal.

In two separate programmes, the city celebrated the works of Rabindranath Tagore ? his poems, songs and plays.

The first programme titled Akasher Canvase was held at Milanee Hall in Bistupur. A pre-monsoon event, it was organised by city cultural group Shahar in association with Milanee. ?Every year, we conduct an event before the monsoon and this year, too, we have lined up various events,? said Sabyasachi Chanda, director of Shahar. And with Tagore?s birth anniversary a day away, it was hard to miss the maestro?s touch.

The evening began with Rabindrasangeet, followed by Narulgeeti and ended with some trendy Bengali rock. But the highlight was a memorable performance by Surya Grahan, a musical group from Ranchi. ?They are very popular here and their forte includes every genre ? from folk to classical to modern,? added Chanda. There was also a dance-drama presented by the students of Shahar.

If one event was a melee of various Bengali eras, the other, held at Ashiana Gardens, Sonari, was a journey down the memory lane.

Organised by the husband-wife team of R.G. Roy and Vandana Roy, the musical evening celebrated Tagore?s birth anniversary. In this event city artists like Dipankar Basu and Debabrata Das enthralled all with songs and recitation of Tagore's works.

?We prefer to keep it low key and invite only a select few. Since Rabindra Jayanti is just a day away we decided to dedicate the evening to the master,? added Roy.