दार्जीलिंग चौऱास्ता में 500+ गिटारिस्टों ने एक साथ विश्व रिकॉर्ड जैसी प्रस्तुति दी

500+ of guitarists today performed in unison here at Chowrasta not only as a prelude to the Darjeeling Melo Tea Fest but also as a tribute to the band Mantra with the enable gathered strumming their songs. Though the organizers had set a bar of thousands guitarists only some hundred turned up with the spirit however seen high as ever as they not only strummed the tunes of popular Mantra songs like "Bir Bir Gorkhali" and "Sadhai Sadhai" but sang along with the band who took the centre stage. Pragya Lama the lead guitarist of Darjeeling based Mantra Band said it was good experience for them and they felt proud to get so much love from the people. The band just reached 25 years. One of the participants, Wangchuk Sherpa said he had come all the way from Siliguri to be part of the program. Tourists gathered there at Chowrasta was also mesmerized with the performance there this evening maintaining Darjeeling always had something new to offer them in their visit. Speaking about the program the Darjeeling SP, Praween Prakash said that the Darjeeling Melo-Tea Fest starts from December 11th and ends on December 14th and they wanted to hold some programs as a prelude to that so people get excited about the fest and this was such an effort. The 3rd edition of the Darjeeling Melo-Tea Fest is being jointly organized by the Darjeeling Police, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and other local organizations. The fest is designed to celebrate the region’s tea heritage, musical legacy, adventure culture and local entrepreneurship while also promoting tourism, creating youth employment, and strengthening the rural economy. The festival has different events like an open rock music competition D-Rock where the total prize pool money is about ₹ 28 Lakhs. Apart from different bands from all over the country taking part in the competition there will be performances by popular names like Purna Rai, Mantra and Chakra. Darjeeling Hill Marathon which will be held on December 14th, draws nearly 4,000 runners annually from across the country will also be one of the special attractions of the fest. Stalls will also be set up at Chowrasta for young entrepreneurs from Darjeeling to showcase innovative local products from handicrafts and agro-produce to wellness items and other domains. Apart from these events there shall be art and photography exhibition, food stalls, fashion shows and display of local tradition and music. In the past too Darjeeling has seen such mass guitar performances at Chowrasta. In the year 2013 as part of the Tea and Tourism Festival about 700 guitarists had together performed John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Similarly, in the year 2022 as part of the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup an ensemble of guitar players were seen strumming “One Love” by Bob Marley and “Musu Musu Hasi Deu” of Norden Tenzing Bhutia at Chowrasta.