Coronavirus: Visva Bharati University cancels 'Basanta Utsav'

According to reports, a day after receiving advisories related to the precautions to avoid Coronavirus infections from the University Grant Commission (UGC) and Union Health Ministry, the Executive Council of state's prestigious university hosted an hour-long meeting where it was decided not to organize 'Basanta Utsav' which records thousands of footfalls every year.

"The UGC and the Union Ministry of Health have advised us to avoid large gatherings inside the campus to prevent any possible spread of Coronavirus infections," a top official of Visva Bharati University told IBNS.

"Giving the most priority to the Coronavirus prevention, we have decided not to host Basanta Utsav in our campus this year which was scheduled to be held on March 9, on the day of Dolyatra (Holi celebration day for Bengalis)," he added.

Past records said that Visva Bharati's years' old practice of celebrating Basanta Utsav was called off only once in 1959 due to the demise of university's then Vice Chancellor Sudhir Ranjan Das.

This decision to avoid large gatherings has been taken by Visva Bharati authority at a time when as many as 31 confirmed Convid-19 cases have been reported across India while more than 3,400 people lost their lives due to coronavirus infection, majorly in China and other countries as well, and cases of infection have passed 100,000 across the globe.