‘Bongo utsav to unite Bengalis of Kolhan’

Jamshedpur: To safeguard the identity of the Bengali-speaking population in Kolhan, a ‘Bongo Utsav’ would be organised at Gopal Maidan on March 19. The head of the organising committee of the event and The Bengal Club, Tapas Mitra, said the size of the Bengali-speaking population is around 40% of the population of Kolhan, but they have been neglected for years. So the programme has been organised to show the strength of the Bengali-speaking people residing here.
The footfall from the three districts of Kolhan would be over 1 lakh.
The revival of Bengali-medium schools in the division has been a long-standing demand of the over 40 Bengali-speaking associations here. He applauded the announcement made during the recently tabled state budget that education would be imparted in mother tongue, including Bengali, from Classes 1 to 5.
Speaking to TOI, Rajesh Roy of Bongo Bondhu on Monday said students in undivided Bihar used to take the matriculation examinations in Bengali. There were over 100 schools in Jamshedpur only. But with the passage of time, all have died a slow death, he rued.