January 21, 2014
WB CM honours eminent citizens of North Bengal with Banga Ratna Samman
Inaugurating the third edition of the five-day Uttar Banga Utsav at the Kanchenjunga stadium, Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee said North Bengal has got a new lease of life through the festival. She said a wave of new excitement has now swept the region that “now basks in the new light that has appeared.”
“I am happy to see this collage created by people belonging to different cultures of the six districts of north Bengal; the songs and the dances performed here today are beautiful,” the Chief Minister said, amid cheers from the crowd that swelled by the minute. She was referring to the cultural show that was staged by artistes in colourful traditional attire to kick-start the event.
“I wish well the people of the region and hope this new light spreads in the days to come,” she added.
Giving the Chief Minister a hand in lighting the inaugural lamp were actor, Prosenjit and music director and singer/ composer, Bappi Lahiri.
At the event attended by people of all walks of life and top government and police officials, the CM also felicitated distinguished personalities of the six districts in North Bengal for their contribution to the region in various fields. The seven personalities who received this year`s `Banga Ratna Samman` awards were educationist Pradyut Ghosh, scientist Sandip Chakrabarty, `charon kobi` Md Zahiruddin Mian, folk singer Dhaneswar Roy, litterateurs Satyaranjan Das and Pranab Kumar Mukherjee and former IPS officer Krishna Singh Moktan.
Also awarded was a student, Pritam Chettri from Madarihat for his invention of a safety device for cooking gas cylinders, while she gave away scholarships worth Rs 10,000 each to 135 students of different areas of the region. She further announced cash rewards for different sports clubs in the region.
A series of events, including drawing competitions, a marathon, cultural shows and concerts by various popular artistes, will be held in all the six districts during the festival that will end with a formal programme at the Kanchenjunga stadium on 26 January.
