I am Shruti Banerjee writing from Switzerland for Bong Haat Binodon, an infotainment wing of Bong Haat

A whole year of festivals, gigs and tours has been thrown into doubt as the whole world has come to standstill due to worldwide Corona pandemic. As with many sectors, music and live entertainment have been severely impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic. The worldwide concert industry now in a flux. There’s still a great deal of uncertainty as to what impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on our cultural life. The coronavirus disruption has created a volatile environment for artists, musicians, song writers and producers on every level.

But Corona Pandemic could not quarantine Bong Haat and Sur Swarang from celebrating শুভ নববর্ষ ১৪২৭ Subho Noboborsho 1427 digitally for the music loving Bengali people globally. Yes. Bong Haat celebrated Bengali New Year 1427 with the help of technology though FB Live program “Ek Fusion Sahdhya” এক ফিউশন সন্ধ্যা on 14th April 2020 at 8:00 PM IST through its Facebook Page.

Through this unique program, I believe, we could live upto the expectations of the audience.

“Poila” is meant to be a symbol of new and renewal. Poila Boishakh or Bengali New Year marks the first day of the initial month of Baishakh of the Bengali solar calendar. Bengalis all over the world celebrate New Year on this day which falls, tentatively, on 14th April every year. In other regions of India, people celebrate the solar New Year, while the Sikh and Hindu communities celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi.

And the people of Western Countries celebrate Happy Easter during this season. For many people living in Switzerland, the long Easter weekend is usually a time for festive gatherings and may be a trip to another part of the country. Because of the coronavirus lockdown, this year is quite different.

The Bengali New Year “Poila Boishakh 1427” celebration in quarantine, this year, has been a new and first-time experience for ‘Bong Haat ‘and ‘Sur Swarang‘.

Yes, we did Noboborsho celebration through FB Live cultural & musical program named ‘“Ek Fusion Sahdhya” এক ফিউশন সন্ধ্যা ‘ on 14th April 2020 at 8:00 PM IST to make your evening more colorful.

With the performances, Bengali Poet Azad Sohel , Unmesh Banerjee in Tabla and Pt. Joydeep Ghosh in Sarod have drawn attentions of the netizen across globe and received many good wishes and congratulations from the viewers. We have also received a lot of positive reactions on social media and some good ideas from the viewers to make our program more colorful in future.

Indranil Mukherjee, popularly known as DJ Indra in Switzerland, presented us some of the charming Bengali instrumental songs which took all of us to the era of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore.

In the event, Bong Haat launched বর্ষপঞ্জি ১৪২৭ Bengali Calendar 1427 (2020-21) which is published every year for the Bengali audience round the globe. This Bengali Calendar 1427 ( বর্ষপঞ্জি ১৪২৭) can be downloaded FREE of cost from our site www.BongHaat.com

In a nutshell, what I feel, it was a good connect with the Bengali people around the globe on this auspicious day of Bengali New Year 1427.

The entire event was hosted by Indranil Mukherjee, ‘urf DJ Indra‘ and me, ‘Shruti Banerjee ‘ from Switzerland digitally and globally.

Let me, now, take the pleasure to introduce the eminent performing artists from different parts of the world in our digital event FB Live Musical & Cultural program ‘“Ek Fusion Sahdhya” ‘on 14th April 2020

Azad Sohel, a poet who has a God gifted voice; a narrator and a theater actor in Bengali literature, is from Bangladesh. Sohel is currently residing in Zurich and he performs in various Bengali Cultural programs in Switzerland and Bangladesh. See the YouTube video

Unmesh Banerjee, one of the most promising Tabla players of his generation. Unmesh Banerjee hails from a family stepped deep into North Indian Classical Music. He received intense Talim in the Farukkabad Baaj from his father and Guru, Pt. Sunil Banerjee. His mother Smt. Bharati Nanavati Banerjee is a versatile vocalist of the Patiala Gharana. Unmesh was initiated into the world of Carnatic rhythm under the mridangam stalwart Vidwan S.Sekhar. See the YouTube video

Pt. Joydeep Ghosh started learning Sarod from the tender age of five under the guidance of the great masters late Sangeetacharya Anil Roychoudhury, late Sangeetacharya Radhika Mohan Moitra and Padmabhusan Acharya Buddhadev Dasgupta, they all belong to the famous Shahajahanpur Sarod Gharana . He has learned the technique of Laykari and its application from the noted exponents of Tabla late Pt. Amal Sarkar, late Ustad Shaukat Ali Khan and late Pt. Anil Palit. He has also received his lesson in Vocal Music from the eminent vocalist late Sangeetacharya Amaresh Chandra Choudhury who belongs to the famous Senia Gharana. Subsequently, he was under the tutelage of the versatile master late Pt. Bimalendu Mukherjee, a doyen of the famous Imdadkhani Gharana of Sitar & Surbahar. Pt. Ghosh has included all the important aspects like Gayaki, Tantrakari, Raag-vistar and Laykari in his own style. The brilliant guidance under the famous maestros has led him towards a new horizon in Sarod , Surshringar & Mohanveena. See the YouTube video

This unprecedented global crisis provides an opportunity to the artists to develop new ways of working with audiences and create a source of entertainment for them digitally, globally.

Prof. Pandit Joydeep Ghosh says at the end of the event “I was literally surprised to witness as well as participate in the program co-ordinated by Smt. Shruti Banerjee on behalf of SurSwarang & BongHaat."

The concept of this FB Live program “Ek Fusion Sahdhya” was to unite digitally all the Bengalis in India and abroad in a musical way during this lock-down situation. All though it was much painful for the musicians from India and other parts of the world to give up musical tours due to whatsoever reasons. And we feel happy of the fact that in spite of worldwide lock down at least some musicians could convey their musical message to the Bong listeners around the globe in this critical time of the year.

In future I, Shruti Banerjee, on behalf of Bong Haat and Sur Swarang, promise to bring to you more exciting musical & cultural programs so that the Indian Music, especially Bengali Music & Bengali Tradition could be promoted and projected worldwide in a new manner from our end.

Time to say 'Bye' for now. Namaskar. শুভ নববর্ষ ১৪২৭ Subho Noboborsho 1427 to all. Stay Home. Stay Safe.

See you soon