The Milanee celebrates 106th anniversary, melange of cultural events mark the occasion

Jamshedpur, Feb. 4: The Milanee, the oldest socio-cultural club in the city celebrated it�s the 106th anniversary on Monday. The Bistupur-based club completed its 106 year�s journey today.

The celebrations kicked off early in the morning with a flag hoisting ceremony by Binod Kumar Srivastava, mayor, Adityapur Municipal Corporation and SekharDey, president of The Milanee among the presence of club members. The inauguration also witnessed a cake cutting ceremony in the morning. ” It is really a rare occasion. Milaneeis committed towards the society and culture,” said Srivastava.

The club which now has about 500 members was earlier known as Sakchi Dramatic Club, Milanee was formed after Oriya Dramatic Club and SaraswatSammilani merged with the former in 1920. That explains the name Milanee.

The evening was more about cultural programme. Kolkata based singer DebashreeTarafder and SaReGaMaPa 2007 fame Prasun Bhattacharjee entertained the audience.

Mahatma Gandhi spun the charkha on its stage. The legendary Prithviraj Kapoor performed with a teenaged Shashi Kapoor here and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose addressed a large gathering here during his tenure as the president of Tata Workers� Union.

Formed by a handful of like-minded citizens in Sakchi, today Milanee is not only the oldest but also one of the most well managed socio-cultural organisation in the city.

�Milanee first started at a small quarter in Bistupur and later shifted to a place where today stands the Yashkamal complex in Bistupur. It was in 1960 that the present structure came up. Before that there was a three-storeyed opera house on the spot,� said an official.
The club has about 500 members. It was earlier known as Sakchi Dramatic Club, Milanee was formed after Oriya Dramatic Club and SaraswatSammilani merged with the former in 1920. That explains the name Milanee. The foundation stone of the present day building was laid in 1921 when India was still struggling for independence.

Today, the members after the inaugural functional also offered floral tribute to their former members who played an important role in the formation of the club and sustaining it.