<p>The annual 'Poush Mela', a heritage cultural event attracting lakhs of travellers to West Bengal's Santiniketan, will not be held this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, an official said.</p>.<p>The over-a-century-old handicraft, handloom, art and music festival, is usually held in December-end.</p>.<p>"We are not sure about getting the nod from the local administration in view of the Covid-19 situation. Most students, an integral part of Poush Mela, are not coming to the campus.</p>.<p>Keeping all these factors in mind, we had to take this unpleasant decision for public health safety," a member of Visva-Bharati's executive council said.</p>.<p>The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the executive council.</p>.<p>Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore had first organised the fair in 1894 and Visva-Bharati, the university founded by the bard, started organising it from 1951.</p>.<p>The 'Poush Utsav', including prayers and singing of devotional songs in the varsity campus, will, however, take place (on December 23 this year), he said.</p>.<p>The fate of the Poush Mela has been a subject of conjecture in the last few months, with an official of the council claiming in July that Visva-Bharati authorities had decided to scrap the event, citing recent "bitter experiences" in organising the winter carnival amid a tussle with traders to comply with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.</p>.<p>But in late August, the varsity had said that the central university is ready to organise the fair if it gets financial help from the Union government.</p>.<p>The Visva-Bharati will observe its foundation day on December 24, which will be attended by the Union education minister and the West Bengal governor.</p>
<p>The annual 'Poush Mela', a heritage cultural event attracting lakhs of travellers to West Bengal's Santiniketan, will not be held this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, an official said.</p>.<p>The over-a-century-old handicraft, handloom, art and music festival, is usually held in December-end.</p>.<p>"We are not sure about getting the nod from the local administration in view of the Covid-19 situation. Most students, an integral part of Poush Mela, are not coming to the campus.</p>.<p>Keeping all these factors in mind, we had to take this unpleasant decision for public health safety," a member of Visva-Bharati's executive council said.</p>.<p>The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the executive council.</p>.<p>Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore had first organised the fair in 1894 and Visva-Bharati, the university founded by the bard, started organising it from 1951.</p>.<p>The 'Poush Utsav', including prayers and singing of devotional songs in the varsity campus, will, however, take place (on December 23 this year), he said.</p>.<p>The fate of the Poush Mela has been a subject of conjecture in the last few months, with an official of the council claiming in July that Visva-Bharati authorities had decided to scrap the event, citing recent "bitter experiences" in organising the winter carnival amid a tussle with traders to comply with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.</p>.<p>But in late August, the varsity had said that the central university is ready to organise the fair if it gets financial help from the Union government.</p>.<p>The Visva-Bharati will observe its foundation day on December 24, which will be attended by the Union education minister and the West Bengal governor.</p>