Flute in all its forms and nuances was omnipresent at this annual cultural fair. The wind instrument was present everywhere, starting right from the boundary wall and its fringe areas to inside the fair ground. Figures playing flutes were on the bamboo matted boundary wall. Large posters of different types of flute from around India and the world were depicted at various places at the fair. Nicwon Sanskritik Mela ’15 at Nischinda near Bally Halt Station held from January 15 to 18, paid a tribute to this instrument through various ways. 

Poet and advisor to Nicwon Centre for Performing Arts, Sankha Ghosh, arrived with his wife at 5pm on Day Three of the fair which was a Saturday. The fair is part of the Centre’s annual events. Ghosh was first led to see the posters that decorated the outer boundary wall of the fair. Right at the entrance to the fair ground was an exhibition of drawings and paintings done on the theme by students of Nicwon Centre for Performing Arts. Sankha Ghosh took time to look at these as well. 

After resting at the office for sometime and savouring some pithe puli that was being sold at the fairground, Ghosh set off again to look through the other segments of the fair. Schools from Bally had set up stalls, exhibiting different uses of the flute in life, music and even on how much the flute has found mention in literature. Bally Nischinda Chittaranjan Vidyalaya elaborately explained how the sound of the flute is romantic yet depressing and has found mention in poetry and prose right from the time of Lord Krishna to modern literature. 

Bally Banga Sishu Balika Vidyalaya had detailed examples on Rabindranath Tagore’s works where the flute has been mentioned. Schools like Durgapur Pallimangal and Bally Uchha Balika Vidyalaya had also come with other examples and exhibits on the flute. Ghosh, spent a large amount of time listening to these students, who had prepared charts and diagrams to make their stalls interesting. 

Ghosh’s next destination was the stage, where students of Nicwon and other schools were putting up performances. Sitting in the backstage, Ghosh enjoyed watching Rabindranritya to Gahana kusuma kunja majhe from Bhanusingher Padabali. When asked how he liked the fair, Ghosh commented, “I have always enjoyed and encouraged this group in everything that they do. I appreciate the effort they put in to promote tradition and culture in their own way. I visit their fair every year. This year too, I found that they have done a lot of research on their subject and organised the fair. I always get to learn something when I come here. The students from the schools, too, have done a lot of work to put up the exhibition,” said Ghosh. Before leaving the fair at around 7pm, Ghosh took the stage for a few minutes and congratulated the members of Nicwon CPA for their effort. 

Meanwhile, the green room beside the stage was busy as each group of dancers were getting ready for their segment of the programme. Manipuri dancers from Kalavati Devi’s Manipuri Nartanalaya presented an item on Lord Krishna and his flute. Members of Balaram Das’s Manashamata Panchal Natya Sangstha from Shyampur were doing their makeup for a pala on the birth of Lord Krishna and his youth. Members were dressed up as Krishna, Devaki, Basudev, Kansha and other mythological characters. Although the group is known for Kalikapatari dance, they decided to perform this pala in keeping with the theme of the mela. There was also a puppet show on one side of the mela ground by Debendra Sarala Putul Nach Group. The hand puppets had a magician showing his tricks while the string puppets had an old couple dancing and narrating their plight in old age through a song.

The Nicwon mela also showcased  handicraft from the various districts of West Bengal. Purulia had its masks, Bankura its dokra jewellery, Birbhum had wooden owls and Radha Krishna and other items  while women from Purba Midnapore had large scrolls with colourful patachitras painted on them. They also sold T-shirts with the same paintings, and one started singing the song on machher biye while displaying a T-shirt.