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In 1997, the 50th year of India’s Independence, the city of Calcutta witnessed a palpable undercurrent as the city’s artist community along with many luminaries from across the country, came together to celebrate Bengal’s rich artistic legacy and its contribution in the field of modern and contemporary art. The festival was the first of its kind in India as the event modules allowed the art community as well as the common people to engage in different capacities and appreciate the role of artists and their creativity in meaningfully projecting contemporary life. Despite the pioneering role played by the Bengal artists and their continued presence in the Indian art world, there was minimal collective effort in post-independent Bengal to deliberate on their achievements in contemporary art and re-evaluate Indian art about its post-colonial identity. The festival was also a significant step towards that direction. Hence, looking back after twenty-seven years is important not only because of the span and diverseness of the events but also for understanding the ingenuity of the structure of the festival, its contemporary perspectives and later influences.