October 28, 2018
The Hills celebrate Kalimpong Darjeeling Folk Festival
Today is the last day of the three-day Kalimpong Darjeeling Folk Festival. This is the second edition of the festival, being held at the Mela Ground in Kalimpong. Video documentation of the cultural heritage of 16 Hill communities has also been released at the festival.
This festival is another of the series of festivals jointly organised by the State Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T) Department and UNESCO, aimed at upholding the rich cultural heritage of Bangla.
The various communities of the Hills region including Mangar, Dhimal, Tamang, Lepcha, Rai, Khas, Bhutia, Tibetan, Limbu, Sarki, Bhujel, Newar, Gurung, Kami, Damai and Sherpa are showcasing their colourful folk songs and dances. The festivities are taking place from 11am to 5pm.
The video documentation, released in the form of DVDs, contains the cultural brief of the Darjeeling and Kalimpong regions, covering lifestyle, food habits, costumes, scripts and other cultural elements of the communities mentioned above.
With peace and tranquillity returning, tourists are again making a beeline for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills and hence, the festival is drawing huge crowds.
The MSME&T Department has developed 10 Rural Craft Hubs in association with UNESCO, which benefit 3,000 handicraft artisans. It is also in the process of developing Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs (RCCH) across 15 districts, which would benefit an additional 12,000 rural artisans. The endeavours are aimed at strengthening grassroots-level creative enterprises in the State.
With respect to the cultural heritage of the Hill peoples, the West Bengal Khadi and Village Industry Board (WBKVIB) is supporting them through the setting up of Folk Centres. MOUs have been inked with the communities and the process of land identification for the centres is underway.
Source: Millennium Post
