Looking back at the first Poush Mela of Santiniketan
GB GetBengal :
Poush Mela is synonymous with Santiniketan and is one of the prime cultural festivals of Birbhum district. The festival is celebrated at Santiniketan Fair Ground near Bolpur railway station annually and is thronged by people from different cultures, traditions and countries, who come to participate in this three-day affair. Over the years, Poush Mela has turned into an annual ritual, a pilgrimage of sorts for many.
Santiniketan was earlier called Bhubandanga. Debendranath Tagore acquired the plot from the landlord (zamindar) of Raipur to set up Santiniketan. On December 21, 1843 (Poush 7, 1250 according to the Bengali calendar) Debendranath along with 20 followers, were formally inducted into the Brahmo Samaj by Pundit Ramchandra Vidyabagish. By this time Debendranath knew this was his life’s calling and he chose to spend his time dwelling upon spiritual truth, which became his lifelong pursuit. He became totally involved in the socio-religious reform movement, working ardently to propagate the tenets of the Upanishads which form the crux of the Brahmo religion. It later earned him the revered sobriquet of ‘Maharshi’ (Maha-rishi, a great sage).
It was no way a smooth sailing for Debendranath. In the initial years, the reformist Brahmos had to face staunch opposition from the orthodox Hindu community who saw them as heathens out to defile their age-old religious and social beliefs and customs.
The Brahmos promoted women’s education, introduced widow remarriages and inter-caste marriages, questioning the very hierarchy of caste, and democratising education. Unlike traditional Hindus, Brahmos gave as much importance to moral uprightness as to a spiritual life. In traditional Hinduism, moral purity was considered subservient to the spiritual call. Not so for the Brahmos. The Brahmo Samaj, under Debendranath’s aegis, made an enormous impact ideologically and culturally on Bengal and created an enduring value system in the region.
Debendranath’s concentrated efforts bore fruit and within two years of him converting to Brahmoism, 500 people from different walks of life followed suit. It was Debendranath’s idea to organize a small homely fair at the venue to get acquainted with and interact with fellow Brahmo Samaj followers, deliberate and spread the ideals of Brahmo religion. The first Poush Mela was held at Goriti Garden at Palta on Poush 6, 1767. Debendranath, the magnanimous host, had made comfortable arrangements on eight or nine boats to transport all his guests to the venue from Calcutta.