We all are aware of the cultural value of Kolkata and Bengalis, but with the moving days, these values are getting lost. With the increasing political tension in the state where communal violence is at its peak and the politicians are using the religious communities as a fixed deposit in their vote bank, the common rights of the individuals are fading away. But even in such a struggling moment, Nandan has become a relief center where people engage with each other without looking back to their background. It seems like the factors like religion, language, and gender are myths and people stay carefree and don’t care about any kind of political circus.
In the 1980s when West Bengal was governed by the Communist Government, Chief Minister Jyoti Basu took the initiative to build Nandan. However, if you visit Nandan today it feels like all the credit belongs to the current government of West Bengal. In the year 1985, it was inaugurated by Satyajit Ray and marked the beginning of a historic landmark. Nandan is a movie hall where you can have a luxury experience at a very low price. But it is not what people are excited about, it is the crowd of young people, students, singers, and painters who always make Nandan enriched with stories. Two places are also landmarks and people use them as bus stops. At the front of Nandan, there is Rabindra Sadan which is within the premises of Nandan. It is a hall mainly used for different kinds of cultural programs. Behind the boundary of Nandan, there is the Academy of Fine Arts which is an exhibition gallery and also has a separate space for theatre performance. You can enjoy the different types of plays every day at the Academy of Fine Arts. During any kind of festival like Holi, Saraswathi Puja, or Durga Puja Nandan dresses up with different kinds of lights and decorative elements. But again it is the crowd of people who keep the vibe always energetic. Especially in the evening before Holi, you will be able to see people dancing to their songs and you will face difficulties resisting your legs from dancing. Just between the entrance of Nandan and the Academic of Fine Arts, there is a little space for some food stalls, and if you are visiting for the first time you must try the Fish Tikka Roll there. If you are lucky enough you can see street performers singing the song and making the environment calm. People who return home after a hectic day at their office, stand there for a bit and listen to songs that make them smile.
Nandan is a place that has a different vibe and after you come back home you can feel it is a different world outside. During the pandemic when the country was stuck inside their house, Nandan was empty and it made many people cry.
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