A local melting pot of emerging artistes

Jongshon is a collaborative platform that hosts shows, bringing together different local artists, rising musicians, and interesting business ventures with an aim to promote their talents.

Growing up in a cultural family, Pujan Goswami, entrepreneur and the founder of Jongshon, always understood the struggles of artistes. "My long-standing affiliation with art and culture which began with my musical education from BAFA, stretched further as I began attending art exhibitions, theatre performances, musical events and worked in radio alongside other artists," he says.

He wanted to create an inclusive space for artists who didn't necessarily come from an institutional background, where their art would thrive on ideas and interaction stepping out of the traditional practice of competition.

Jongshon's first event, 'Acoustica' was arranged in 2019. Since then, they have presented 37 young musicians and bands.

Along with hosting live performances and promoting young musicians, their other projects are 'Nondon', which promotes visual art, 'Udyog', which promotes SMEs and young entrepreneurs and 'Greenventures', which highlights eco-friendly businesses. Their events are cleverly curated with musical performances in venues that exhibit art under Nondon, and have stalls that sell different home-grown products by SMEs and ventures under the other two projects.

Owing to the pandemic, they had to suspend their in-person events. "When it comes to offline events, artists through their performances find a way to get direct responses about their work from the audience. There is scope for conversation and an exchange of ideas which helps them improve their craft, which is limited in virtual shows," explains Goswami.

Currently, Jongshon has eight main projects, including 'Scene-e Night' for cinema and short-film screenings, and 'Fun-e Khan' for stand-up comedy. The platform intends to launch their website and host year-long events in the future.

The author is a student of Political Science, and a freelance journalist. Email: mormeemahtab23@gmail.com.