CHHOTO JHILPAR NICWON CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS Key Issues and
Operational Areas, Major Activiities & Achivements
Operational Districts:
Alipurduar, Bankura , Barddhaman , Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjiling , Haora , Hugli , Jalpaiguri , Koch Bihar , Kolkata, Maldah , Murshidabad , Nadia , North Twenty Four Parganas, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Puruliya, South Twenty Four Parganas, Uttar Dinajpur
Operational States: WEST BENGAL
AchieveMents: We are working on the folk art of India for the last two decades. Along with it we are also working on the Classical and creative dances and music of our country.
For the last 11 years Nicwon is organising a cultural fair in Bally, Howrah, West Bengal. The main aim of the fair is to highlight the glorious culture of our nation. So in that fair Nicwon invites different cultural groups and organisations from all over the country to perform. The dances like Sangi Mukhota from Maharashtra, Bhawai from Rajasthan, Rauf from Kashmir, Holi and Peacock Dances from Uttar Pradesh, Jumur and Karam from Jharkhand, Rava and Boirathi from Assam, Kathakali and Mohiniattam from Kerala, Odishi from Odisha, Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Gouriya Nritya and the different folk dances like Chhou, Ravankata, Manabputul, Raibeshe, Gambhira, Puppet Dance, Gajan, Santal Dance of West Bengal performed in this fair. Every year the fair is based on a particular theme like The Role of Flute in the Folk Culture (2015),The Role of Boat in the Folk Culture (2014) etc . The students of local schools organises an exhibition on the theme of the fair. There are stalls of handicrafts from different parts of West Bengal.
Many eminent persons like freedom fighter Brindaban Chandra Ghosh, poet Sankha Ghosh, filmmaker Sandip Ray, singer Amar Pal and many more celebrities and scholars of West Bengal are members of this organisation.
Sahitya Akademy award winning writer Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Dadasaheb Falke winning actor Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Sabitri Chattopadhyay who recently got Padmashree Samman, eminent Bharatnatyam dance Guru Thankumani Kutty, Manipuri dance guru Kalavati Devi, eminent theatre personality Rudraprasad Sengupta also came to the fair and praised Nicwon.
Sahitya Akademy and Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre also financially assisted us to do this fair.
Nicwon is also publishing a monthly printed wall magazine on the Bally Railway station for the last 11 years. Moreover we are also doing passenger awareness programmes regularly with Eastern Railway.
Nicwon also organises a Morning Procession on the birthday of our national poet Rabindranath Tagore for the last 17 years. The members sing songs, dances and perform street theatre on that procession. On that procession Nicwon arranges Raksha Bandhan, to celebrate the national integrity of the nation.
Nicwon also arranges different workshops on dance, theatre and craft. Like Kanchan Roy from Purulia had done a workshop on Chhou and Nandikar had done a workshop on theatre. Artists from Avibekti of Bankura West Bengal had done a workshop on craft.
Nicwon also made documentaries and film. The documentaries are made on Flute (Banshi Kahini), Boats (Nouka Katha) and many more items. The short film Sir Sabdhan is on a teacher and his pupils.
The members of Nicwon have also written and performed many dance dramas like Nouko Yatra, Ful Futuk, Basuria and Chandragrahan. They are Nicwons own production.