Basanta Utsav: Spring Festival of Bengal

Holi is one of the most colourful festivals of India. This festival happens during the spring season of every year, and the whole country is enveloped by colours for the day. It spreads joy all over the nation, painting the hearts and souls of the people, and brightens their eyes with the joy of celebration. The fun of playing with colours not only excites kids but also adults. It is celebrated everywhere in the country with slightly different customs added to the practice of playing with colours. One such occasion is celebrated in Shantiniketan of West Bengal, where it is quite popular as “Basanta Utsav” as ‘basanta’ means spring and ‘utsav’ means festival in Bengali. It was initially started by Rabindranath Tagore, which surely adds more charm and elegance to holi. The festival involves playing not only with colours but also with flowers like ‘Palash’ and ‘Shimul’ which are abundant in this region. The fragrance of these spring flowers amuses everyone there, inducing more beauty to the celebration. The celebration involves performance of dance, drama as well as recitation of poems by students from Visva Bharati University of Shantinekatan. All these performances take place in a long procession, where all people wear traditional costumes of yellow colour. Men wear ‘kurta’ or ‘panjabi’ and women wear ‘saree’ with jewelleries made of Palash flowers. Though the festival is of one day its spirit lasts in the heart forever, a reminiscence of the blissful colours and delightful fragrance.