Akshaya Tritiya – one of the most auspicious religious days for Bengali Hindus

West Bengal is a land of religious festivals. Bengalis celebrate many religious auspicious days through out the year and Akshaya Tritiya is one of those days. Actually Akshaya Tritiya is one of the three most auspicious days for Hindus.  In this post you will find the different ritual activities performed in Akshaya Tritiya and the prohibited activities during this day.

Akshaya Tritiya or Akshaya Tithi is the third day of the Shukla Paksha of Baisakh month. This day is considered as one of the auspicious days for Hindus in India and all over the world. Akshaya Tritiya is considered as one of the three most auspicious tithi or muhurtas for Hindus.  The other two tithes are Noboborsho, Poila Baisakh and Vijaya Dashami.

The word Akshaya means which never ends. Hindus believe that any new assignment started in this auspicious day brings good luck. With other parts of India, people of West Bengal also celebrate this holy day religiously. Many Bengalis buy long tern assets like gold or silver in this special day. It is believed by people of West Bengal that this auspicious day is best for inauguration of any long term project like starting new business, Bhoomi Puja for construction of house etc.

2026 Akshaya Trithiya

Akshaya Tritiya Date 06 Baisakh, April 20 Monday

Religious significance of Akshaya Tritiya

It’s a religious believe of Hindus that on this day Veda Vyasa started dictating the epic Mahabharata to Lord Ganesha. This day is also considered as the birthday of Parashurama, sixth incarnation of God Vishnu. Akshaya Tirtiya is also considered as birthday of Lord Sri Balaram, elder brother of Lord Sri Krishna.

Activities prohibited during Akshay Tritiya

Upanayana is prohibited during Akshay Tritiya day. Ending of fast, construction of house and entering thereof are prohibited during Akshay Tritiya.

Akshaya Tritiya celebration in West Bengal

In different parts of India Akshaya Tritiya is celebratedin different ways. West Bengal follows it’s own style to celebrate Akshaya Tritiya.  Many businessmen and traders perform the ‘HalKhata’ ,on this auspicious day.  Halkhata, means starting new audit books in business and this ceremony is performed on Poila Baisakh in West Bengal also. Bengali families, if not purchased any thing or no new assignment is being started on this day, would at least celebrate Akshaya Tritiya with religious functions like worship of goddess Lakshmi.

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Poush Mela-the festival at Shantiniketan in West Bengal

This article is on Poush Mela at Shantiniketan. You will get information about the history of this mela, how this mela was started and the concept behind this mela.

Poush Mela is one of the most famous fair in West Bengal. It is celebrated at  Shantiniketan in Birbhum  district. Poush mela continues for three days and in every year it start on the 7th day of Bengali calendar month Poush. With the start of winter, Bengalis feel an un-resistible attraction of Shantiniketan due this Poush mela. People from different parts of the country, even from other countries come to Shantiniketan for Poush mela. People of different race, religion and culture gather at Shantiniketan on the occasion of Poush Mela. In Bengali, mela means get together of huge number of people with different location, culture, religion, race. Shantiniketan Poush melais a mela in true sense.

Origin of the Poush Mela

In the earlier days, Shantiniketan was a small remote village in Birbhum. Initially Shantiniketan was known as Bhubandanga.  Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore found this place in 1860. He was charmed with the calm and quite surrounding of Bhubandanga. Actually at that time he was in search of a location where people of all religions can seat together for prayer and meditation. He found Bhubandanga the most suitable location and purchased the place. Later the name was changed to Shantiniketan.  On 21 December 1843 (7 Poush 1250), Debendranath Tagore and 20 followers accepted Brahmo creed and a Brahmo mandir was established on 21 December 1891 at Shantiniketan. That day was also 7 Poush. On 1894, a small fair was organised on the occasion of establishment anniversary of Brahmo mandir. The date was 7 Poush as per Bengali calendar.   In 1888, Shantiniketan trust deed was done and at that time a provision was made for the mela. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore started an open air school at Shantiniketan. The concept behind the school was ancient Gurukul system of education. The school was  started on the 7th day of Poush.

Inauguration function of Poush Mela

Like any other festivals at Shantiniketan, Poush mela inauguration function is also unique and immutable. In the early morning of 7 Poush, Shantiniketan wakes up with the music of Shehnai. The Vaitalik group start performing. The group goes round the ashrama singing Rabindra Sangeet. After that a prayer is held at famous Chhatimtala. From Chhatimtala the next destination is Uttarayan. All present at Chhatimtala move to Uttarayan singing songs of Gurudeb.

The rest of the days in Poush Mela are decorated with cultural activities of West Bengal. Live performances of Rabindra Sangeet, baul, Bengali folk music, dances, tribal sports and presentation of Shantiniketan present students are the main attraction of this Poush mela.

Poush Mela 2024

Dates: December 24 – December 26, 2024

Location: Poush Mela Ground, Shantiniketan, Birbhum District, West Bengal

Inauguration: The fair will officially commence on December 24, with traditional rituals including the soft music of shehnai and performances by the Vaitalik group.

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Bankura District Fairs And Festivals

  

Festivals	Description	Time
Bishnupur Mela	The Bishnupur Mela is an annual fair held in the month of Poush of the Bengali Calendar and is held in the town of Bishnupur. It celebrates the cultural richness of the region, providing the attendees with a glimpse of how the traditional Bengali culture has witnessed change over time. It venerates the traditional music and dance of the state of West Bengal and provides the visitors a glimpse of the Bengali cultural heritage.	December
District Book Fair	Held at Bankura Christian College grounds	December
Chaitra Gajan	Held at Ekteshwar
Dharmarajer Gajan	Held at Beliatore.
Ras Utsav	Held at of Bishnupur
Kaliyadaman	Held at Jagdallah and Purandarpur
Pirer Utsav	Held at Indus
Basuli Mela	Held at Chatna
Dhara Utsav	Held at Susunia.
Bhadu Puja	Bhadu Puja is observed in the Bengali month of Bhadra (mid-August-mid-September) and is a very common festival of the villagers of Purulia. People believe that worshipping Bhadu Devi enables childless women to bear children. With this belief the women sing Bhadu songs and worship. .
Tusu Puja	Tusu is a religious festival where the village girls and women sing Tusu songs during the month of Paush, the first month of winter. Tusu songs are sung for whole night of ‘Makar Sankranti’, the last day of the month of Paush. Women exchange garlands and fry eight variety of pulses which are given as an offering to the goddess Tusu.

 

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Purulia District Fairs And Festivals

 

Festivals	Description	Time
Shiber Gajan	Held from middle of March to May end, in rural areas. Also popularly called Bhagta Parab, Chait Parab, Chhow Parab, Charak Puja, Gajan.
Disum sendra	Hunting festival of Santhals in Ajodhya Hill areas on Baishakhi Purnima. Also known as Shikar Parab.
Dharma Thakurer Puja -O-Mela	From 15 April to 15 May. Images in various shape and form are visible in various parts of the district.
Rohini Utsav	On 13 Jaistha (28/29 May). Cultivators sow seeds and celebrates.
a) Erohk Sim b) Batauli	In Asarh (15 June to 15 July)- seed sowing festival of Santhals,Similar festival of Mundas
Manasa Pooja	On last day of Shraban(15/16 August)
Karam Parab	After completion of paddy cultivation
Chata Parab	Kings and rich landlords used to patronize the festival. Popular at Ind ( Barabazar PS), Chkaltor and Bangabari(PS Purulia Mfs.),celebrated throughout the night with dance and songs
Bhadu	Celebration of Aus paddy harvesting in the month of Bhadra. H.H. Risly in his Tribes and Castes of Bengal referred to Bhadu as goddess, popular among Bagdis and Bouris in Bamkura, Purulia(Manbhum)districts.
Jita Asthami	Held 12 days after Ind Parab, meant for would-be-mothers.
Bandhna Parab	Held after Kalipuja. Popular among Kurmi, Bhumij, Korha, Lodha communities. To Santhals and Mundas this is known as Sohray.
Jathel Utsab	Popular among Santhals held during Agrahayan (15 Nov. To 15 Dec.)
Raas Mela	Raas Utsav is observed to celebrate the meeting of Lord Krishna with Shri Radhika and her other companions during Agrahayan Purnima. This Utsav is celebrated in Purulia town with pomp and grandeur .
Tushu	Rural women perform Tushu Puja lately with images. Tushu songs relate to joy, sorrow, imagination, experience of villagers.
Bhansingh Pooja-O-Parab	There is no image of Bhansingh who is regarded as God to protect cattle, held during month of Magh(15 January to 15 February).
Akhan Jatra	First day of Magh is regarded as Akhan Jatra, believed as auspicious day.
Chandi Pooja	Khelai Chandi Pooja held during month of Magh. Popular fair is associated with Pooja.
Magh Sim	Popular festivals for Santhals, held during month of Magh.
BAHA	Spring festival for Santhals which is known as Sarjan Baha or Sarhool to Mundas. Nightlong song and dance is associated with the celebration.
Bhejabindha	In Bhejabindha archery and Murgi Larhai (cock fight ) is a part of festival. The defeated cock become the property of the owner of the wining cock. Popular among santhals

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List Of Major Fairs And Festivals In West Bengal

 

Fair Name	Location	Time of Year	Significance
Kolkata Book Fair	Kolkata	January-February	Largest book fair in India
Poush Mela	Shantiniketan	December	Celebrates Bengali culture and arts
Gangasagar Mela	Sagar Island	January	Religious fair, marks the occasion of Makar Sankranti
Kenduli Mela	Kenduli	January	Celebrated in the honor of poet Jaydev
Digha Beach Festival	Digha	Winter months	Promotes tourism and local culture
Teesta Tea & Tourism Fest	Siliguri	November-December	Promotes tea industry and tourism in North Bengal
Jalpaiguri Tea Festival	Jalpaiguri	Winter months	Showcases the rich tea culture of the region
Haldia Mela	Haldia	January-February	Cultural fair with exhibitions and performances
Vasant Utsav	Shantiniketan	Spring (February)	Marks the arrival of spring, cultural performances
Naba Barsho Fair	Various Locations	April	Celebrates Bengali New Year

Details Coming Soon.....

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Dhanteras-an auspicious day and its celebration

This article is on Dhanteras. You will get information about how to celebrate and why it is celebrated.

Dhanteras is basically a North Indian festival on the first day of the Diwali festival. ‘Dhan’ means wealth and on Dhanteras Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped for prosperity and over all happiness. Dhanteras is considered as an auspicious day for purchasing precious metals like gold and silver. This day is special for the business community due to their customary purchases of precious metals on this day.

How Dhanteras is celebrated

To celebrate this auspicious day, houses and business premises are decorated with motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of Wealth. Footprints of Goddess Lakshmi are drawn all over the houses specially at the entrance of houses and rooms of the houses. Lamps, candles and Diyas are kept burning from the evening time. This is a ritual of Hindu women to purchase gold or silver or at least new utensils as per their capacity on this auspicious day. All most all jewellery shops, gift item shops declare special discount offers on Dhanteras.  Special Puja is performed in the evenings and diyas are lighted in houses to drive away the shadows of evil spirits.

Many people purchase silver idols of Lakshmi and Ganesha on the occasion of Dhanteras. It is believed that placing these idols in proper place on this auspicious day results in increase in wealth, success and growth at house, offices and business.

 Dhanteras and Bengalis

In recent past, Dhanteras was not celebrated in West Bengal with so much enthusiasm as it is celebrated in present years. Dhanteras day falls just two days before Kali Puja. Bengalis are well known for adopting others culture and festivals. Even few years back Dhanteras was considered as a north Indian custom. North Indians, Gujratis, Marawaris residing in West Bengal used to celebrate Dhanteras at that time. Today Bengalis are also equally celebrating Dhanteras and performing Dhanteras Puja. A craze for buying gold and silver among Bengali women are observed in recent years.

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Poush Mela Shantiniketan 2017 Date and Time Schedule

Poush Mela Shantiniketan 
Venue :Shantiniketan, West Bengal 
Start Date :Saturday, 23-Dec-2017
End Date :Tuesday, 26-Dec-2017

Poush Mela in Santiniketan is a carnival set in the rural part of Bengal. It is an important festivals in the district of Birbhum of West Bengal. It is held in the Shantiniketan Mela Grounds with great excitement and gaity. The Poush Mela started as a small Tagore family affair along with a handful of people at Shantiniketan. Today it is one of the international events that Bengal is identified by. One can enjoy the Baul musicians, local folk dancers, village artists and millions of visitors from across the world.

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Kolkata International Film Festival KIFF 2017 Date Timing and Venue

The 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival is all set to Make you Laugh, Cry, Scream and Sing Together from this 10th to 17th November, 2017 .


The 23rd edition of the Kolkata International Festival will feature 144 movies from 65 countries in 18 categories in 12 locations from 10th November to 17th November.


Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kamal Haasan, Mahesh Bhatt and Kajol will be present at inaugural ceremony at Netaji Indoor stadium.

A total of 143 films from 53 countries will be screened under 16 sections at 12 venues. Iranian film Yellow, directed by Mostafa Taqizadeh, will be the inaugural movie. 

Venues

Nandan I

	09:00 AM	11:45 AM	03:00 PM	05:00 PM	07:15 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Special Tribute:  Redoubtable  Dir: Michel Hazanavicius 2017/Color/107mins/France	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Swan  Dir: Asa Helga Hjorleifsdottir 2017/Color/91mins/Iceland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Son of Sofia  Dir: Elina Psykou 2017/Color/111mins/France, Greece, Bulgaria	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  Everyday  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 2012/Color/97mins/UK	Cinema International:  The Square  Dir: Ruben Ostlund 2017/Color/142mins/Sweden
12th Nov, Sunday	Country Focus: UK: Classics:  The Lady Vanishes  Dir: Alfred Hitchcock 1938/B&W/96mins/UK	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Death of a Poet  Dir: Abu Sayeed 2017/Color/71mins/Bangladesh	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Stories of Love that Cannot Belong to this World  Dir: Rancesca Comencini 2017/Color/92mins/Italy	Special Tribute:  Aurora Borealis  Dir: Marta Meszaros 2017/Colour/104mins/	Cinema International:  A Gentle Creature  Dir: Sergei Loznitsa 2017/Colour/143mins/France, Germany, Lithuania, TheNetherlands
13th Nov, Monday	Country Focus: UK: Classics:  The Red Shoes  Dir: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger 1948/Colour/133mins/UK	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Kupal  Dir: Kazem Mollaie 2017/Color/81mins/Iran	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Birds Are Singing in Kigali  Dir: Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze 2017/Color/117mins/Poland	Special Tribute:  Clair Obscur  Dir: Yesim Ustaoglu 2016/color/105mins/TURKEY	Cinema International:  Disappearance  Dir: Boudewijn Koole 2017/Color/92mins/Norway
14th Nov, Tuesday	Special Screening:  Grandeur et decadence d'un petit commerce de cinema  Dir: Jean-Luc Godard 1985/Color/92mins/France, Switzerland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  The Disenchanted  Dir: Selim Gunes 2017/Color/98mins/Turkey, France, Germany	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Razzia  Dir: Nabil Ayouch 2017/Color/109minutes/Morocco, France, Belgium	Special Tribute:  Rodin  Dir: Jacques Doillon 2017/Color/119mins/France	Special Tribute:  The Third Murder  Dir: Kore-eda Hirokazu 2017/Color/124mins/Japan
15th Nov, Wednesday	Special Screening:  Afterimage  Dir: Andrzej Wajda 2016/Color/100mins/Poland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  A Sort of Family  Dir: Diego Lerman 2017/Color/95mins/Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  The Holy Fish  Dir: Saneep Mishra, Vimal Ch. Pandey 2017/Color/90mins/India	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Samui Song  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2017/Color/118mins/Thailand	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Uncle Vanya  Dir: Anna Martinetz 2017/Color/134mins/Germany, Austria, Poland
16th Nov, Thursday	Special Tribute:  The Day After  Dir: Hong Sang-soo 2017/B&W/92mins/SouthKorea	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Nocturnal Times  Dir: Priyanandanan T R 2017/Color/130mins/India	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  1945  Dir: Ferenc Torok 2017/B&W/91mins/Hungary	Cinema International:  Djam  Dir: Tony Gatlif 2017/Colour/97mins/France, Turkey, Greece	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Good Manners  Dir: Marco Dutra, Juliana Rojas 2017/Color/135mins/Brazil, France
17th Nov, Friday	Country Focus: UK: Classics:  Lawrence of Arabia  Dir: David Lean 1962/Colour/228mins/UK		Special Tribute:  Ismael's Ghosts  Dir: Arnaud Desplechin 2017/Color/110mins/France	Cinema International:  Spoor  Dir: Agnieszka Holland 2017/Color/128mins/Poland, Germany, CzechRepublic	CLOSING FILM

Nandan II

	11:15 AM	03:15 PM	05:15 PM	07:30 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Centenary Tribute:  Merry-Go-Round  Dir: Zoltan Fabri 1955/B&W/103mins/HUNGARY	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Forgotten  Dir: Hassan Ben Jalloun 2010/Color/105mins/Morocco	Cinema International:  More  Dir: Onur Saylak 2017/Color/115mins/Turkey	National Award Winning Films:  Maj Rati Kateki  Dir: Santwana Bardoloi 2016/Color/117mins/India(Assamese)
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  Radiance  Dir: Naomi Kawase 2017/Color/101mins/Japan, France	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  The 5th string  Dir: Selma Bargach 2011/Color/98mins/Morocco	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Ishu  Dir: Utpal Borpujari 2017/Color/91mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Bisorjon  Dir: Kaushik Ganguly 2016/Color/139mins/Indaia(Bengali)
13th Nov, Monday	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  On The Road  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 2016/Color/112mins/UK	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Androma... Blood and Coal  Dir: Az Larab Alaoui Lamhazri 2012/Color/96mins/Morocco	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Side A & Side B  Dir: Rahat Kazmi 2017/Color/115mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Neerja  Dir: Ram Madhvani 2016/Color/122mins/India(Hindi)
14th Nov, Tuesday	Special Tribute:  Bright Sunshine In  Dir: Claire Denis 2017/Color/94mins/France	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Zero  Dir: Nour Eddine Lakhmari 2012/Color/110mins/Morocco	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  To Let  Dir: Chezhiyan Ra 2017/Color/99mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Reservation  Dir: Nikhil Manjoo 2016/Color/91mins/India(Kannad)
15th Nov, Wednesday	Special Tribute:  Anna Karenina. Vronsky's Story  Dir: Karen Shakhnazarov 2017/Color/138mins/Russia	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Behind Closed Doors  Dir: Mohammed Ahed Bensouda 2013/Color/100mins/Morocco	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Sound of Silence  Dir: Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran 2017/Color/89mins/India, USA	National Award Winning Films:  K Sera Sera - Ghodpachen Ghoddtelam Dir: Rajeev Shinde 2016/Color/136mins/India(Konkani)
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  Closeness  Dir: Kantemir Balagov 2017/Color/118mins/Russia	Asian Select (NETPAC Award): Clint  Dir: Harikumar 2017/Color/115mins/India	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Sand Paper  Dir: B. Suresha 2017/Color/121mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Maheshinte Pratikaram  Dir: Dileesh Pothan 2016/Color/121mins/India(Malayalam)
17th Nov, Friday	Documentary Films:  Sandhyer Pakhi  Dir: Sangeeta Dutta 2017/Color/100mins	Cinema International:  Alanis  Dir: Anahi Berneri 2017/Color/82mins/Argentina	Cinema International:  Oblivion Verses  Dir: Alireza Khatami 2017/Colour/92mins/France, Germany, TheNetherlands, Chile	National Award Winning Films:  Dashakriya  Dir: Sandeep Bhalchandra Patil 2016/Color/139mins/India(Marathi)

Nandan III

	11:15 AM	02:15 PM	05:15 PM	07:30 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Short & Documentary Films	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Sonam  Dir: Ahsan Majid 2005/Color/120mins/India	Centenary Tribute:  Ganga  Dir: Rajen Tarafdar 1960/B&W/151mins/INDIA	National Award Winning Films:  Madipu  Dir: Chetan Mundadi 2016/Color/116mins/India(Tulu)
12th Nov, Sunday	Short & Documentary Films	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  A B C D  Dir: K. Ramesh Samath 2016/Color/74mins/India	Homage:  Headmaster  Dir: Agragami (Saroj Dey, Nishith Banerjee, Parbotishankar Dey) 1959/B&W/71mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Haanduk  Dir: Jaicheng Jai Dohutia 2016/Color/90mins/India(Moran)
13th Nov, Monday	MASTER CLASS	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Husband's Home  Dir: M.D. Kowshik 2017/Color/95mins/India(Kodava)	Centenary Tribute:  Kobi  Dir: Debaki Kumar Bose 1949/B&W/125mins/INDIA	National Award Winning Films:  Pelli Choopulu  Dir: Tharun Bhascker 2016/Color/126mins/India(Telugu)
14th Nov, Tuesday	INTERACTIVE SESSION	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Songs of the Horned Owl  Dir: Manju Borah 2015/Color/78mins/India	Centenary Tribute:  Trisagni  Dir: Nabendu Ghosh 1988/Color/103mins/INDIA	National Award Winning Films:  Wrong Side Raju  Dir: Mikhil Musale 2016/Color/140mins/India(Gujarati)
15th Nov, Wednesday	Short & Documentary Films	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Pebbles  Dir: Raahul Sharma 2013/Color/115mins/India	Homage:  Sadgati  Dir: Satyajit Ray 1981/Color/52mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Joker  Dir: Raju Murugan 2016/Color/131mins/India(Tamil)
16th Nov, Thursday	Short & Documentary Films	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Red Turban  Dir: Prashant Nagendra 2017/Color/76mins/INDIA	Homage:  Shatranj Ke Khiladi  Dir: Satyajit Ray 1977/Color/113mins/India	Country Focus: UK: Contemporary:  Sea Sorrow  Dir: Vanessa Redgrave 2016/Color/74mins/UK
17th Nov, Friday	Short & Documentary Films	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Daughter of The Earth  Dir: Pradip Kurbah 2017/Color/110mins/INDIA	Poetry on Celluloid:  Talking Of Michelangelo  Dir: Modhurima Sinha 2017/Color&b&w/61mins	Unheard India: Rare Language Indian Films:  Tanyabi Lake  Dir: Satarupa Sanyal 2017/Color/60mins/India

Sisir Mancha

	11:00 AM	02:00 PM	04:15 PM	06:45 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Fun Bar Karaoke  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 1997/Color/103mins/Thailand
12th Nov, Sunday	Short & Documentary Films	Children's Screening:  Putani Safari  Dir: Ravindra Venshi 2017/Color/134mins/India	Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  6ixtynin9  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 1999/Color/115mins/Thailand
13th Nov, Monday	Short & Documentary Films	Children's Screening:  Swanam  Dir: Deepesh T. 2017/Color/82mins/India	Short & Documentary Films	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Transistor Love Story  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2001/Color/115mins/Thailand
14th Nov, Tuesday	Short & Documentary Films	Children's Screening:  Pinti Ka Sabun  Dir: Pramod Pathak 2017/Color/85mins/India	Short & Documentary Films	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Ploy  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2007/Color/105mins/Thailand
15th Nov, Wednesday	Short & Documentary Films	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  Welcome to Sarajevo  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 1997/Color/100mins/UK	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films
16th Nov, Thursday	Short & Documentary Films	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  The Claim  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 2000/Color/120mins/UK, Canada	Short & Documentary Films	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Nymph  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2009/Color/94mins/Thailand
17th Nov, Friday	Short & Documentary Films	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  The Road to Guantanamo  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 2006/Color/95mins/UK	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films

Rabindra Sadan

	11:15 AM	03:15 PM	05:15 PM	07:30 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Country Focus: UK: Contemporary:  Lady Macbeth  Dir: William Oldroyd 2016/Color/89mins/UK	Cinema International:  Nico, 1988  Dir: Susanna Nicchiarelli 2017/Color/93mins/Italy, Belgium	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Pupa  Dir: Indrasis Acharya 2017/Color/109mins/India	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Chitrokar  Dir: Saibal Mitra 2016/Color/147mins/India
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  Wajib  Dir: Annemarie Jacir 2017/Color/96mins/Palestine	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  A Letter to the President  Dir: Roya Sadat 2017/Color/83mins/Afganisthan	Bengali Premiere:  Baranda  Dir: Reshmi Mitra 2017/Color/131mins/India	Bengali Premiere:  Biler Diary  Dir: Biswarup Biswas 2017/Color/150mins/India
13th Nov, Monday	Cinema International:  The Young Karl Marx  Dir: Raoul Peck 2017/Color/112mins/France, Germany, Belgium	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Nazrul - His Life, His Journey  Dir: Mujibar Rahaman 2017/Color/99mins/India	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Maravi  Dir: Satish Babusenan, Santosh Babusenan 2017/Color/87mins/India	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Tikli & Laxmi Bomb  Dir: Aditya Kripalani 2017/Color/180mins/India
14th Nov, Tuesday	Country Focus: UK: Retrospective - Michael Winterbottom:  Trishna  Dir: Michael Winterbottom 2011/Color/117mins/UK, Sweden, India	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Avichi  Dir: Varun Chowdhury 2016/Color/93mins/India	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Pathumma  Dir: Panchakshari 2016/Color/100mins/India	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Los Perros  Dir: Marcela Said 2017/Color/94mins/France, Chile
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  Rainbow - A Private Affair  Dir: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani 2017/Color/84mins/Italy, France	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Balad from Tibet  Dir: Zhang Wei 2016/Color/84mins/China	Cinema International:  The Tree Goddess  Dir: Sumitra Peries 2017/Color/115mins/SriLanka	Cinema International:  On Body and Soul  Dir: Ildiko Enyedi 2017/Color/116mins/Hungary
16th Nov, Thursday	Country Focus: UK: Classics:  The English Patient  Dir: Anthony Minghella 1996/Color/162mins/UK, USA	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Redu  Dir: Sagar Vanjari 2017/Color/120mins/India	Bengali Premiere:  Smug  Dir: Anindya Banerjee 2017/Color/73mins/India	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Goodbye Katmandu  Dir: Nabin Subba 2017/Color/133mins/Nepal
17th Nov, Friday	Cinema International:  Blade of The Immortal  Dir: Takashi Miike 2017/Color/140mins/Japan, UK	Special Tribute:  Outrage Coda  Dir: Takeshi Kitano 2017/Color/104mins/Japan	Cinema International:  Iceman  Dir: Felix Randau 2017/Color/96mins/Germany	Cinema International:  Yellow  Dir: Mostafa Taghizadeh 2017/Color/91mins/Iran

Nazrul Tirtha

	11:00 AM	02:00 PM	04:00 PM	06:00 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  1945  Dir: Ferenc Torok 2017/B&W/91mins/Hungary	Cinema International:  Radiance  Dir: Naomi Kawase 2017/Color/101mins/Japan, France	Cinema International:  Felicite  Dir: Alain Gomis 2017/Color/123mins/France, Senegal, Belgium, Germany, Lebanon	Cinema International:  The Summit  Dir: Santiago Mitre 2017/Color/114mins/Argentina
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  Loveless  Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev 2017/Color/1270mins/Russia, France, Belgium, Germany	Cinema International:  Beauty and the Dogs  Dir: Kaouther Ben Hania 2017/Color/100mins/Tunisia, France, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Qatar, Switzerland	Cinema International:  Yellow  Dir: Mostafa Taghizadeh 2017/Color/91mins/Iran	Cinema International:  Giant  Dir: Aitor Arregi , Jon Garano 2017/Color/114mins/Spain
13th Nov, Monday	Special Tribute:  Redoubtable  Dir: Michel Hazanavicius 2017/Color/107mins/France	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Pupa  Dir: Indrasis Acharya 2017/Color/109mins/India	Cinema International:  I still hide to smoke  Dir: Rayhana Obermeyer 2016/Colour/90mins/Algeria, France, Greece	Cinema International:  Invisible  Dir: Pablo Giorgelli 2017/Color/87mins/Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, France
14th Nov, Tuesday	Cinema International:  April's Daughter  Dir: Michel Franco 2017/Color/103mins/Mexico	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  A Letter to the President  Dir: Roya Sadat 2017/Color/83mins/Afganisthan	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Death of a Poet  Dir: Abu Sayeed 2017/Color/71mins/Bangladesh	Cinema International:  The Square  Dir: Ruben Ostlund 2017/Color/142mins/Sweden
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  A Prayer Before Dawn  Dir: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire 2017/Color/116mins/France, UK	Cinema International:  Vazante  Dir: Daniela Thomas 2017/B&W/116mins/Brazil, Portugal	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Stories of Love that Cannot Belong to this World  Dir: Rancesca Comencini 2017/Color/92mins/Italy	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Birds Are Singing in Kigali  Dir: Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze 2017/Color/117mins/Poland
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  De Plus Belle  Dir: Anne-Gaelle Daval 2017/Color/98mins/France	Special Tribute:  Rodin  Dir: Jacques Doillon 2017/Color/119mins/France	Cinema International:  Maus  Dir: Yayo Herrero 2017/Color/90mins/Spain	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Uncle Vanya  Dir: Anna Martinetz 2017/Color/134mins/Germany, Austria, Poland
17th Nov, Friday	Special Screening:  Grandeur et decadence d'un petit commerce de cinema  Dir: Jean-Luc Godard 1985/Color/92mins/France, Switzerland	Special Screening:  Afterimage  Dir: Andrzej Wajda 2016/Color/100mins/Poland	Cinema International:  Nico, 1988  Dir: Susanna Nicchiarelli 2017/Color/93mins/Italy, Belgium	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Nocturnal Times  Dir: Priyanandanan T R 2017/Color/130mins/India

Navina

	10:00 AM	12:00 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Cinema International:  The Misandrists  Dir: Bruce LaBruce 2017/Color/91mins/Germany	Cinema International:  Sweet Country  Dir: Warwick Thornton 2017/Color/113mins/Australia
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  Emma  Dir: Silvio Soldini 2017/Color/115mins/Italy, Switzerland	Cinema International:  Iceman  Dir: Felix Randau 2017/Color/96mins/Germany
13th Nov, Monday	Cinema International:  More  Dir: Onur Saylak 2017/Color/115mins/Turkey	Special Tribute:  Aurora Borealis  Dir: Marta Meszaros 2017/Colour/104mins/
14th Nov, Tuesday	Special Tribute:  Ismael's Ghosts  Dir: Arnaud Desplechin 2017/Color/110mins/France	Cinema International:  Loveless  Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev 2017/Color/1270mins/Russia, France, Belgium, Germany
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  Spoor  Dir: Agnieszka Holland 2017/Color/128mins/Poland, Germany, CzechRepublic	Cinema International:  The Family  Dir: Gustavo Rondon Cordova 2017/Colour/82mins/Venezuela, Chile, Norway
16th Nov, Thursday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Los Perros  Dir: Marcela Said 2017/Color/94mins/France, Chile	Special Tribute:  Clair Obscur  Dir: Yesim Ustaoglu 2016/color/105mins/TURKEY
17th Nov, Friday	Special Tribute:  The Day After  Dir: Hong Sang-soo 2017/B&W/92mins/SouthKorea	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  The Holy Fish  Dir: Saneep Mishra, Vimal Ch. Pandey 2017/Color/90mins/India

INOX City Centre I

	03:00 PM	05:30 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Cinema International:  April's Daughter  Dir: Michel Franco 2017/Color/103mins/Mexico	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Avichi  Dir: Varun Chowdhury 2016/Color/93mins/India
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  Golden Years  Dir: Andre Techine 2017/Colour/103mins/France	Special Screening:  Afterimage  Dir: Andrzej Wajda 2016/Color/100mins/Poland
13th Nov, Monday	Cinema International:  A Prayer Before Dawn  Dir: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire 2017/Color/116mins/France, UK	Cinema International:  Maus  Dir: Yayo Herrero 2017/Color/90mins/Spain
14th Nov, Tuesday	Cinema International:  The Summit  Dir: Santiago Mitre 2017/Color/114mins/Argentina	Cinema International:  Djam  Dir: Tony Gatlif 2017/Colour/97mins/France, Turkey, Greece
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  Giant  Dir: Aitor Arregi , Jon Garano 2017/Color/114mins/Spain	Cinema International:  Disappearance  Dir: Boudewijn Koole 2017/Color/92mins/Norway
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  Invisible  Dir: Pablo Giorgelli 2017/Color/87mins/Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, France	Cinema International:  I still hide to smoke  Dir: Rayhana Obermeyer 2016/Colour/90mins/Algeria, France, Greece
17th Nov, Friday	Cinema International:  Endangered Species  Dir: Gilles Bourdos 2017/Colour/105mins/France, Belgium	Cinema International:  Rainbow - A Private Affair  Dir: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani 2017/Color/84mins/Italy, France

Mitra

	10:00 AM	12:00 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Los Perros  Dir: Marcela Said 2017/Color/94mins/France, Chile	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Good Manners  Dir: Marco Dutra, Juliana Rojas 2017/Color/135mins/Brazil, France
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  De Plus Belle  Dir: Anne-Gaelle Daval 2017/Color/98mins/France	Cinema International:  Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts  Dir: Mouly Surya 2017/Color/90mins/Indonesia
13th Nov, Monday	Cinema International:  On Body and Soul  Dir: Ildiko Enyedi 2017/Color/116mins/Hungary	Cinema International:  Sweet Country  Dir: Warwick Thornton 2017/Color/113mins/Australia
14th Nov, Tuesday	Cinema International:  Alanis  Dir: Anahi Berneri 2017/Color/82mins/Argentina	Cinema International:  Wajib  Dir: Annemarie Jacir 2017/Color/96mins/Palestine
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  The Young Karl Marx  Dir: Raoul Peck 2017/Color/112mins/France, Germany, Belgium	Cinema International:  The Misandrists  Dir: Bruce LaBruce 2017/Color/91mins/Germany
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  The Family  Dir: Gustavo Rondon Cordova 2017/Colour/82mins/Venezuela, Chile, Norway	Special Tribute:  The Third Murder  Dir: Kore-eda Hirokazu 2017/Color/124mins/Japan
17th Nov, Friday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  A Sort of Family  Dir: Diego Lerman 2017/Color/95mins/Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland	Cinema International:  Closeness  Dir: Kantemir Balagov 2017/Color/118mins/Russia

Star Theatre

	09:30 AM	11:45 AM
11th Nov, Saturday	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Samui Song  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2017/Color/118mins/Thailand	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Stories of Love that Cannot Belong to this World  Dir: Rancesca Comencini 2017/Color/92mins/Italy
12th Nov, Sunday	Cinema International:  More  Dir: Onur Saylak 2017/Color/115mins/Turkey	Cinema International:  April's Daughter  Dir: Michel Franco 2017/Color/103mins/Mexico
13th Nov, Monday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Son of Sofia  Dir: Elina Psykou 2017/Color/111mins/France, Greece, Bulgaria	Cinema International:  Emma  Dir: Silvio Soldini 2017/Color/115mins/Italy, Switzerland
14th Nov, Tuesday	Cinema International:  Felicite  Dir: Alain Gomis 2017/Color/123mins/France, Senegal, Belgium, Germany, Lebanon	Cinema International:  Radiance  Dir: Naomi Kawase 2017/Color/101mins/Japan, France
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  Endangered Species  Dir: Gilles Bourdos 2017/Colour/105mins/France, Belgium	Cinema International:  Oblivion Verses  Dir: Alireza Khatami 2017/Colour/92mins/France, Germany, TheNetherlands, Chile
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  Golden Years  Dir: Andre Techine 2017/Colour/103mins/France	Special Tribute:  Bright Sunshine In  Dir: Claire Denis 2017/Color/94mins/France
17th Nov, Friday	Cinema International:  Vazante  Dir: Daniela Thomas 2017/B&W/116mins/Brazil, Portugal	Cinema International:  The Tree Goddess  Dir: Sumitra Peries 2017/Color/115mins/SriLanka

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre

	02:00 PM	04:30 PM	07:00 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Uncle Vanya  Dir: Anna Martinetz 2017/Color/134mins/Germany, Austria, Poland	National Award Winning Films:  Joker  Dir: Raju Murugan 2016/Color/131mins/India(Tamil)	Special Tribute:  Anna Karenina. Vronsky's Story  Dir: Karen Shakhnazarov 2017/Color/138mins/Russia
12th Nov, Sunday	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Balad from Tibet  Dir: Zhang Wei 2016/Color/84mins/China	National Award Winning Films:  Pelli Choopulu  Dir: Tharun Bhascker 2016/Color/126mins/India(Telugu)	Cinema International:  Do It Right  Dir: Chad Chenouga 2016/Color/98mins/France
13th Nov, Monday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Death of a Poet  Dir: Abu Sayeed 2017/Color/71mins/Bangladesh	National Award Winning Films:  Wrong Side Raju  Dir: Mikhil Musale 2016/Color/140mins/India(Gujarati)	Bengali Premiere:  Biler Diary  Dir: Biswarup Biswas 2017/Color/150mins/India
14th Nov, Tuesday	Children's Screening:  Swanam  Dir: Deepesh T. 2017/Color/82mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Haanduk  Dir: Jaicheng Jai Dohutia 2016/Color/90mins/India(Moran)	Bengali Premiere:  Baranda  Dir: Reshmi Mitra 2017/Color/131mins/India
15th Nov, Wednesday	Asian Select (NETPAC Award):  Nazrul - His Life, His Journey  Dir: Mujibar Rahaman 2017/Color/99mins/India	National Award Winning Films:  Madipu  Dir: Chetan Mundadi 2016/Color/116mins/India(Tulu)	Cinema International:  Two Soldiers  Dir: Marco Tullio Giordana 2017/Color/94mins/Italy
16th Nov, Thursday	Country Focus: UK: Contemporary:  Sea Sorrow  Dir: Vanessa Redgrave 2016/Color/74mins/UK	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Kupal  Dir: Kazem Mollaie 2017/Color/81mins/Iran	Cinema International:  Dragon Defense  Dir: Natalia Santa 2017/Color/80mins/Columbia
17th Nov, Friday	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films	Short & Documentary Films

PVR - Manisquare

	03:00 PM	05:00 PM	07:00 PM
11th Nov, Saturday	Cinema International:  On Body and Soul  Dir: Ildiko Enyedi 2017/Color/116mins/Hungary	Cinema International:  Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts  Dir: Mouly Surya 2017/Color/90mins/Indonesia	Cinema International:  Disappearance  Dir: Boudewijn Koole 2017/Color/92mins/Norway
12th Nov, Sunday	Retrospective - Pen-Ek Ratanaruang:  Samui Song  Dir: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 2017/Color/118mins/Thailand	Cinema International:  The Misandrists  Dir: Bruce LaBruce 2017/Color/91mins/Germany	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Good Manners  Dir: Marco Dutra, Juliana Rojas 2017/Color/135mins/Brazil, France
13th Nov, Monday	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Swan  Dir: Asa Helga Hjorleifsdottir 2017/Color/91mins/Iceland	Country Focus: UK: Contemporary:  Adult Life Skills  Dir: Rachel Tunnard 2016/Color/96mins/UK	Special Tribute:  Outrage Coda  Dir: Takeshi Kitano 2017/Color/104mins/Japan
14th Nov, Tuesday	Special Tribute:  Aurora Borealis  Dir: Marta Meszaros 2017/Colour/104mins/	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  1945  Dir: Ferenc Torok 2017/B&W/91mins/Hungary	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Side A & Side B  Dir: Rahat Kazmi 2017/Color/115mins/India
15th Nov, Wednesday	Cinema International:  Beauty and the Dogs  Dir: Kaouther Ben Hania 2017/Color/100mins/Tunisia, France, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Qatar, Switzerland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  Kupal  Dir: Kazem Mollaie 2017/Color/81mins/Iran	Cinema International:  Blade of The Immortal  Dir: Takashi Miike 2017/Color/140mins/Japan, UK
16th Nov, Thursday	Cinema International:  Emma  Dir: Silvio Soldini 2017/Color/115mins/Italy, Switzerland	International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images:  The Disenchanted  Dir: Selim Gunes 2017/Color/98mins/Turkey, France, Germany	Contemporary Moroccan Cinema:  Razzia  Dir: Nabil Ayouch 2017/Color/109minutes/Morocco, France, Belgium
17th Nov, Friday	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Pathumma  Dir: Panchakshari 2016/Color/100mins/India	Competition on Indian Language's Films:  Maravi  Dir: Satish Babusenan, Santosh Babusenan 2017/Color/87mins/India	Cinema International:  A Gentle Creature  Dir: Sergei Loznitsa 2017/Colour/143mins/France, Germany, Lithuania, TheNetherlands

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