Jangalmahal festival to be held in W. Bengal to promote tribal art and culture

A three-day Jangalmahal festival would be held in the city to promote the art and culture of a tribal belt of south Bengal between November 23 to November 25, organisers said on Saturday.

The fifth edition of the festival would showcase folk songs and tribal dances such as Tusu, Bhadu, Ahira, Chhou and Jhumur along with dance performance by the locals of the Jangalmahal area.

The forested areas of West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia districts in the southern part of the state form Jangalmahal. These areas were once affected by Maoist insurgency.

The festival will also make people aware of various development programmes of the government and facilitate the government to reach their benefits to the people at the grass root, said Priyabrata Bera, Secretary of the Jangal Mahal Udyog, the NGO that organises the festival.

Seminars, folk dramas and workshops will also be conducted during the festival, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by the state's Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on November 23, Bera said.

(With inputs from agencies.)