Photographs of Sagar Lahiri: Indian Fair (1st Part)

Joydev Kenduli Mela
Jaydev Kenduli (Bengali: জয়দেব কেন্দুলি) (also known as Kendubillo) is a village and gram panchayat in Ilambazar community development block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is believed by many, to be the birth place of Jayadeva, although its authenticity is contested, and in spite of the academic controversy, has developed as a religious centre with many temples and ashramas (hermitages). An annual fair, popular as baul fair, is organized on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Jaydev Temple

Jaydev Kenduli is located at

23.63°N 87.43°E. It has an average elevation of 48 metres (157 ft).^[8] It is located on the banks of Ajay River.^[7]
Villages in Jaydev Kenduli panchayat are: Joydev Kenduli, Tikarbeta, Sahapur, Janubazar, Raghunathpur, Mundira, Balarpur, Santoshpur, Bhubanaswer, Sugar, Chhata Chak, and Akamba.

River Ajoy's

Sunset at Ajoy river

A fair is organized in memory of Jayadeva on the occasion of Poush Sankranti or Makar Sankranti.^[11] It starts on the last day of the Bengali calendar month, Poush and continues up to 2 Magh.^[7] The start of the fair commemorates the auspicious day on which Jayadeva is claimed to have taken a bath at the Kadaambokhandi ghat of the Ajay river at Jaydev Kenduli.^[12] In 1982, the district authorities took control of the fair to provide a better environment, a good sanitation system, drinking water, lighting and security.^[13]
Several thousand bauls, a community of wandering minstrels who sing devotional songs to the music of the ektara (one stringed instrument), assemble for the fair and as such it is also referred to as Baul Fair. The bauls stay in 160 temporary hermitages at Jaydev Kenduli for around a month. These bauls appear to have inherited the legacy of Jayadeva songs.^[6]^[7]^[10]

Journey from Kolkata to Bolepur

Inside the train

Spending time in train

This days journey from Kolkata to Bolepur is real fun because in Shantinikatan express there is no rush as such,people can enjoy in relaxed mood without any kind of tension which is sometime unthinkable in India.

Preaching tent in Joyadev Kenduli

After reaching Bolepur we took a bus and reaching at joyedev Kenduli.The crowd just started coming in fact the day we reached was starting day of the fair.Reaching there our experienced friends started preaching tents.I had no prior experience of living in a tent,which was a real pleasure.

Tent Preaching

Second tent.

Jamming inside the tent.

We carried 2 single tents with us.

Observing Baul in Moner Manush akhra

Performing Bauls

That night we have wonderful experience of hearing baul song at "Moner Manush akhara" which is a baul akhara run by Sadhon Das Bairagi
The akhara is basically a camp side where every day from evening to morning different singers perform. This akhara was located just beside our camp.

Sadhon Das Bairagi

Playing Dotara

Playing Ektara(A musical instrument usually used in Baul song.)

The magical Baul performance

Chapati tawa

Mela(Fair)
Next day the morning onward we were strolling on the fair which is a typically rural,I wonder the people who came here buying few luxury materials probably could not understand the urban folks.The face-cream,kitchen utensils,red ribbons.These are silly things, perhaps for the urbanized people.But here lies our true picture of other side of India,where people don't know GDP,fiscal growth...blah..blah.

During the fair it was heavily cold, we took sleeping bag along with us,which really helped us to bear with cold.