Bishorjon Carnival a huge success with total viewership of over 1 crore

Kolkata, Oct 9: According to scriptures, Durga Puja may have ended on Dashami but the Bishorjon Carnival brought the festival in Kolkata to a glorious end on October 3 – in fact, more than one crore people watched it online across the world, which is a big achievement, plus of course the crores who watched the live broadcast on television and the few hundred who watched it from the stands. The best Durga Pujas of Kolkata and its suburbs had their idols, and portions of the themes and decorations as well, loaded onto trailers as tableaux and paraded along Red Road to the rapturous applause of a huge crowd, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and some of the well-known personalities of Bengal from field of culture. The carnival is being organised by the Bengal Government since 2016 as a way to popularise Durga Puja across the world. The carnival is slowly turning out to be a favourite among foreign tourists interested in the culture and rituals of Bengal. This year, 66 Durga Puja organisers participated, up from 39 last year. The history and culture of Bengal and unity in diversity – which has been an ever-present aspect of Bengal over the ages – as well as current issues and aspects of the State Government’s work were on display through the numerous tableaux. Chhau dance, FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Kanyashree, Safe Drive Save Life, Sabuj Sathi, baul singers belting out their mesmerising numbers and many other themes were on display. Something which grabbed the attention of everyone this year was the presence of women dhakis (‘drummers’) dressed in wonderful sarees with almost all the tableaux. UNI