(Minghui.org) Every winter on the 7th day of the Bengali month of Poush, West Bengal’s biggest fair, Poush Mela, is held at Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. This fair was started by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, in 1894, to boost the local economy through a celebration of dance, music, and art.

Organizers estimated that about 1.6 million people from all parts of India and other countries visited Poush Mela from December 22 to 28, 2025. The largest fair in West Bengal had more than 1,500 booths featuring local craftsmen from every Indian state.

The Falun Dafa booth at the Poush Mela, Santiniketan, which was held December 22 to 28, 2025.

Falun Dafa practitioners from Kolkata drove 212 kilometers (appropriately 132 miles) to introduce Falun Dafa to thousands of people who attended the fair—they wished to share the practice that has benefited them with others.

India has a rich history of Buddhism. Many visitors were drawn to Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and some saw similarities with Buddhist beliefs. They were also interested in the meditation aspect of the practice, and some people learned the exercises during the fair.

Visitors also bought copies of Falun Dafa’s main books Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun.

Chatraparti Murmu (left), purchased both Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun, and said the cultivation practice would help him get a new direction in life.

Chatraparti Murmu is a biology teacher who had a long conversation about the practice with a practitioner at the booth. He said he understood that practicing Falun Dafa helps one develop positive thoughts and reduce negative ones. He said that he discovered something, “That will give me a new direction in life” and purchased both Zhuan Falun and Falun Gong.

Bimala Sankar Das (right) bought a copy of Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun, and said he wanted to learn more about Falun Dafa.

Revenue inspector Bimala Sankar Das was interested in different explanations of life and how different people understand their existence. He was fascinated by Falun Dafa’s novel explanation of concepts that were familiar to him, and said he bought Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun to “learn more about Falun Dafa.”

Nizamuddin Mollah

With India’s rich history of yoga and meditation, many visitors were drawn to Falun Dafa as a new school of meditation, and they wanted to learn more. Some wanted to know how Falun Dafa could expand upon the calming and restful effects of other meditation. Nizamuddin Mollah, a businessman, said that he had practiced different meditation ways before. He purchased Zhuan Falun because he felt practicing Falun Dafa would make him even “more calm and balanced.”

Ashok Kumar Paitandi

Ashok Kumar Paitandi, a retired government official, purchased both books and said he believed they could give him new insights on the inner workings of meditation.

Other people wanted to explore Falun Dafa’s teachings because they were looking for a way to help them manage things better in their work and lives.

Swati Sarkar is a young entrepreneur in the garments business. Facing the stress of starting a business on her own, she felt that Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance would help her, “Deal with the pressure of business calmly,” while the meditation would help her, “Be more focused.”

Nabamita Ghosh, who works in the Fisheries Department, previously heard about Falun Dafa through a webinar held in the Bengali language. She said she believed that Falun Dafa could help her “deal with many problems” in her life, and bring her peace and calmness in her heart.

A Journey of Altruism

For the practitioners who made the trip from Kolkata, the fair was an opportunity to share with others the benefits they received from their own spiritual journeys.

Anushree Sinha suggested that the practitioners participate in the book fair. She recalled the feeling of when she first got to know the practice of Falun Dafa back in 2020. “After I began practicing I got what I was looking for and felt I had obtained the ultimate goal of my life,” she said. “I discovered what a cultivation practice is.”

Reading Zhuan Falun for the first time answered many of her questions about the meaning of life and why we are here. Soon after she started practicing Falun Dafa, she realized that her newfound sense of purpose helped her get over her depression. She slowly reduced the medicines she was taking. She also gained a lot of confidence, “I could go out on my own and I did not feel insecure or nervous.”

A relative in Santiniketan suggested that with so many people coming to the Poush Mela, it would be a good opportunity to introduce Falun Dafa. Sinha lost no time in making the arrangements. On the first day of the fair, she said she made the right decision when she saw people coming to the booth on their own and wanting to know about Falun Dafa.

Dr. Bit, a retired plastic surgeon, is always looking for opportunities to tell others how Falun Dafa changed his life—especially the book Zhuan Falun—he hopes that more people can get their questions about life answered like he did. When he first came across the book in 2011, “It answered so many of my questions about spirituality, about karmic retribution and why we suffer.” The asthma that bothered him for 33 years, along with his allergies and knee pain, disappeared like a miracle within a week.

Where he lives, it’s not easy for Dr. Bit to talk to many people face-to-face, so he conducts weekly webinars for people who are interested in Falun Dafa. When he heard of the chance to attend the fair, he immediately signed up.

Despite the long drive, Dr. Bit said, “This was a great opportunity to tell thousands of people” the story he’s told online so many times before. He also enjoyed the chance to teach the Falun Dafa exercises in person.

Pinak Roy Chowdhury, an accountant, learns the first Falun Dafa exercise.