Shiv Mandir Ground (Neamatpur)

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  B Bhattacharjee (guest)

  It seems to me that a fair is a gathering in its truest sense when I recollect my bygone-school days. We (my friends and myself) regularly used to visit the shiv-ratri mela ground during tiffin hours - a 10 minutes' walk from BNG Institution. Though it used to be at noon and the shops were kept shuttered, we did not lose any opportunity to enjoy even visiting the closed shops, the enclosure of the circus and magic show, the zoo and such other places of entertainment. There was (till exists) a well in the left side of the entrance along with a temple with various god and goddesses of the hindu mythology. Local people used to claim that the well was constructed during the reign of Sher Shah. It was a very big well completely brick-walled around it. It was so deep that a stone or a broken brick took a few seconds to hit the level of the water, when dropped. To us, it was just like a game to drop a stone or a brick to hear the sound each time when we used to visit the ground. During shiv-ratri mela festival in the months of February or March, people from almost all over India came to arrange makeshift shops and sell almost everything one needs. The two big merry-go-rounds, the main attractions of the fair, were seen from distance whirling in the circuitous route. Our main enjoyment was to visit the fair ground under parental guidance during the evening, for a day or two. The ground touched our heart for another reason. During winter, it was a regular venue for cricket matches. Even a few second or third division cricket players of the Calcutta League were hired by local teams to play for their teams. Our main attraction was to eye-witness those players. Football and volleyball tournaments were regularly organised which attracted the local people to gather and see the games. There was a hindi-medium primary school beside the temple. Kids were seen memorising their lessons in the morning session during school hours. In fine, there was a long list of reasons to remember shiv-ratri mela and the ground. BB

  9 years ago | reply | hide comment