Soft strains of shanai fill the dusty air as sadhaks potter around
the ashram singing bhajans in the darkness of wee hours.
The group organise prayer-meetings at Chhatimtala. The entire
congregation then moves on to 'Uttarayan' in traditional grandeur.
Welcome to 'Poush Utsav', a potpourri of different cultures and
traditions, which had been blurring the shadowlines of religion, caste and creed living upto the Bramho spirit of universal
brotherhood since 1843.
Like always, the four-day fair, starting tomorrow, will see a
milieu of different thoughts and ideologies with people from different walks of life thronging Tagore's abode.
''Tight security arrangements have been made to counter threats
from any anti-social element. We have also set up a close circuit televisions for strict monitoring,'' Superintendent of Police,
Birbhum, Humayun Kabir said.
''People, who come from far and wide to participate in 'Santiniketan
Rabindranath Ashram', should make it a point to preserve the sanctity of the fair,'' Viswa-Bharati Vice-Chancellor Rajat Kanta
Ray told UNI.
'Poush Utsav' became an integral part of Santiniketan after Devendranath
Tagore, along with his twenty followers, embraced the Brahmo creed on December 21, 1843.
A Brahma mandir was established at Santiniketan on December 21,
1891.
Subsequently, a small fair was organised in 1894 to celebrate
the establishment of the anniversary of the Brahma mandir.