For celebrating the winter season, the British Council hosted a two day long Poush Mela (Winter Fair) at the British Council premises (Dhaka University campus office) with great excitement and the spirit of vibrant Bangladeshi culture and heritage. One of the characteristics of Poush Mela was live performances of Bengali folk music notably baul music, bioscope and puppet show. It is exactly what the British Council aimed to project during the wintry month of January. The two days fair was conducted in collaboration with Mr. Noodles and Red Carpet 365 Ltd on 12 and 13 January 2018. The fair was open to all age group.
Poush Mela welcomed the visitors with a creative traditional entrance decorated with the theme of village hut evoking the nostalgia of rural life of Bangladesh. To highlight the traditional skills of the artisans; a small exhibition mostly with the women entrepreneurs, was also arranged. These entrepreneurs exhibited and sold pitha-puli (sweets), handicrafts, garment items, paintings, clay items, publication, decorative plants, miniature of the popular historical sites etc. Poush Mela also had an exhibition and a local festive cuisine. With a fusion of the rural Bengal and the urban taste and style, a wide range of events and activities were arranged focusing to the children, youth and adults. They enjoyed performances by Baul musicians, puppet shows, poetry recitals by Monsoon Letters and musical performances by rising stars. In addition to this, there were cartoon mascots and jumping games to entertain the children, selfie booths for all groups of people and an installed bioscope, which is a very unique Bangali culture.
Not only was the fair riddled with entertainment, the kids and teenagers also received an opportunity to learn English as well. Ten lucky visitors also received free British Council Library memberships over the two-days. Overall, it was a festive ambience with the touch of variety of entertainment for both kids and adults. Visitors also had access to information regarding the English courses, IELTS exam and other services provided by the British Council.