Madur floor mat weavers exhibit their wares outside Kolkata airport on Friday. (Subham Dutta)
Chhau dancers and Madur floor mat weavers were promoted at the Kolkata airport on Friday, the first day of its three-day cultural event to celebrate Poila Baisakh. Officials said the Airports Authority of India is organising the event in association with TourEast, a travel agency, and marketing firm Signpost India to promote Bengal’s rural culture.
The Chhau dancers performed inside the airport, while the weavers were present outside the departure gate.
Baul songs and Kantha stitching will be part of the event on Saturday, and Patachitra will be presented the next day.
“The people at the airport are getting a glimpse of Bengal’s rich heritage and culture through Poila Baisakh celebration. It is being done for the first time and passengers are enjoying live folk dance of Bengal,” said TourEast Coordinator Moumita Kundu. “The purpose of this programme is also to promote art and and culture of Bengal villages.”
Signpost India Managing Partner Dipankar Chatterjee said, “We are delighted to leveraging this platform to integrate the rich art and culture of the region to showcase the diversity of art forms that have originated in Bengal and the talent of Bengali artisans.”