BALURGHAT, June 29 -- In a major legislative push for the preservation of North Bengal's dying indigenous heritage, Tapas Chandra Roy, the newly elected BJP MLA from Kushmandi raised the plight of 'Khonpala Gaan' artistes in the ongoing West Bengal Assembly budget session.

Addressing the House, Roy highlighted that approximately 500 traditional folk artistes across both North and South Dinajpur districts are currently enduring acute financial hardships while awaiting official administrative recognition and welfare support from the state.

Roy emphasised that Khon Pala Gaan is an ancient folk culture and performance tradition deeply intertwined with the identity of the local Rajbanshi community. Originating nearly 500 years ago, this vibrant theatrical medium relies on rustic humor, musical storytelling, and extempore dialogue. Beyond entertainment, Khon plays a vital role in rural society by consistently delivering powerful social messages regarding community harmony, ethics and local governance directly to agrarian village audiences.

Launching a sharp political critique, the Kushmandi legislator stated that this historically rich cultural tradition has been pushed down a path of severe decay. He alleged that this decline is the direct result of systematic neglect and a complete lack of protective cultural initiatives by both the erstwhile Left Front and the successive Trinamool Congress governments.

"These artistes are the living custodians of a 500-year-old legacy, yet they are suffering from severe economic distress and forced to live on the fringes. The state government must immediately come forward to formally register these performers, provide them with institutional validation and include them under official government financial aid structures to spark a true cultural revival," Roy stated on the Assembly floor.

Expanding his appeal for the preservation of Kushmandi's regional history, the lawmaker also placed a formal demand before the state government to declare the historic, 500-year-old Narbaria Shiva Temple in Kushmandi as a state heritage site. He argued that the ancient structure requires immediate administrative conservation to protect it from environmental degradation.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.