5 months ago
1
Poush Mela, a wintertime just successful Santiniketan that dates backmost to 1894 and is considered a substance of pridefulness for the Visva-Bharati University, volition beryllium held this twelvemonth from December 23-28 and, for the archetypal time, booking for stalls is wholly being done online to cheque corruption.
Online booking opened connected Monday (December 15, 2025) and during the archetypal 2 days, lone those individuals and institutions who had participated successful the 2024 Poush Mela volition beryllium allowed to publication against online outgo of the charges. They are expected to capable 75-80% of the astir 1,300 stalls that volition beryllium acceptable up for the fair. From December 17, bookings volition beryllium unfastened to all.
“Online booking ensures transparency. It had earlier been noticed that a batch of section shopkeepers made aggregate bookings and sold them arsenic sub-leases astatine precocious prices,” a elder module subordinate of Visva-Bharati said, asking not to beryllium named. The just is organised by the Santiniketan Trust with the enactment of the Rabindranath Tagore-founded university.
In its agelong history, lone connected 3 occasions was the Poush Mela cancelled — during the Bengal famine of 1943, the aftermath of Direct Action Day successful 1946, and during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-22. In 2023, Visva-Bharati provided the accepted venue but the lawsuit was organised by the State government. Finally, successful 2024, the Santiniketan Trust resumed organising it with the enactment of the university.
“Despite the challenges faced during these periods, the Mela has stood the trial of time, evolving and increasing into a taste improvement that captivates visitors from astir the globe. It is portion and parcel of the university’s hallowed tradition. We are going to organise it successful strict adherence to the guidelines laid down by the National Green Tribunal,” Visva-Bharati Public Relations Officer Atig Ghosh said, adding, “This year’s Mela is successful each respects akin to the 1 held past year, prevention the information that, this year, stall-booking is being done wholly done the online mode.”
With the accelerated emergence of question and marketing, handicraft and handloom products are present disposable successful Santiniketan passim the year, but the Poush Mela is inactive considered an integral portion of Debendranath Tagore’s imaginativeness of Santiniketan.
