One lakh people celebrate Basanta Utsav

More than one lakh people from different parts of the country and abroad gathered at Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan to celebrate Basanto Utsav today.
It was a riot of colours, song and dance at Visva Bharati campus with people celebrating the festival with enthusiasm.
Outside the campus, election fever has gripped the area, but inside it was an altogether different picture.
Santiniketan woke up this morning with the song - Khol Dwar Khol (Open the door) and soon the celebrations began.
Sushanta Duttagupta, Vice-Chancellor of Visva Bharati University, along with senior teachers and ashramites were present on the main dais for cultural programme.

Last year, Basanta Utsav was held in the fair ground outside the campus. Many people complained that the change of venue marred the traditional festivity. This year, the festival returned to Ashram Football Ground.
The gathering of people was more this morning as Monday has been declared a holiday by the state government. However, it was not possible for all to enter the main venue due to stringent security measures.
This year the university authorities decided to vacate the campus after the main programme was over. Outsiders were not allowed to stay in the main campus after the programme.