In keeping with the saying “Baro Mashe, Tero Parbon” (Thirteen festivals in twelve months), Bengal is undoubtedly known for its endless love for festivals and their festivities. Poila Boishakh, being the first day of the new year, is celebrated by Bengalis all over as it marks a fresh start, a dawn of new hope and aspirations.
Zee Bangla has long been a custodian of the intricacies of Bengal’s heritage whether it is celebrating the many festivals and their traditions or reviving Bengal’s art forms as they get passed down to the next generation. The brand believes in celebrating each festival with great enthusiasm while keeping alive the traditions handed down over Bengal’s illustrious history, keeping alive the brand’s promise – ‘Notun Chonde Likhbo Jibon’.
Although this Noboborsho was different from other years due to the lockdown’s effect on the Bangla New Year spirit, Zee Bangla hosted a virtual ‘Probhat Pheri’ celebration for all its viewers.
Zee Bangla, a connoisseur of the cultural elements, has always pioneered Bengal’s indigenous ingredients and tried to revive the intricacies of Bengal’s heritage so that they are passed down to the younger generations.
This Poila Boishakh, the channel took the initiative to celebrate the Bangla New Year with an aesthetically curated and vibrantly appealing ‘Probhat Pheri’ Live Streamed on Zee Bangla’s official Facebook page on Thursday, 15th of April, from the large and prestigious EMC campus in Kolkata.
Welcoming the year 1428 with great enthusiasm, Zee Bangla celebrated a delightful concoction of its distinguished culture and traditions with Bengal’s favourite art forms. Bengal’s tradition and culture are imbibed in its art forms, its music, and its dance, and what better way to welcome another year with a Probhat pheri showcasing these.
The celebration began at six in the morning with mongal sankha dhwani, followed by a cultural performance including a Rhythm orchestration with dhaak, khol, bangla dhol, an on-stage representation of a famous dance drama, and a recitation-based dance performance. Not only this, but the viewers also witnessed some popular art forms such as Santhal Nach, Chau Nach, Ronpa Nach, Uday Shankar’s fusion style and Robindra Nritya.
Bengal’s diversity is not only in the art forms but in the attire. For the Probhat Pheri, the women dressed in the traditional laal-parh shada saree and showered flower petals while holding up ‘Kulos’ as they walked along. The men on the other hand were seen wearing dhuti-punjabi and Bengal’s traditional big and colourful masks.
Commenting on this joyous yet precautionary filled celebration, Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Head – East, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “The digital Probhat Pheri is Zee Bangla’s way of celebrating this Polia Boishak with our viewers. Probhat Pheri, is one of our eternal tradition going on from generations and we at Zee Bangla now have our rendition of this ritual. Staying true to our brand value – ‘Notun chondey likhbo jibon (Orchastrating life in a new rhythm)and our viewers at the centre,we have married the micro nuances of our culture with contemporary renditions and with the help of technology we would like to share our love this new year to all the Bengalis across the globe . Lastly, I would like to convey our wishes to all our partners,facilitators and most importantly to our viewers. Shubho Nobobarsho! ”
