How an Indian student got global visitors dancing to Bengali music at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum
Shared by industrialist Harsh Goenka, the event by Amsterdam-based fashion student Aishwarya Bhattacharjee is winning praise for spreading cultural joy.
A celebration of music and culture at Amsterdam’s iconic Van Gogh Museum is winning hearts after a Bengali folk song drew visitors from across the world into an impromptu dance moment. The event gained momentum after industrialist Harsh Goenka shared a video of the event.
The viral video shows visitors of different nationalities smiling, clapping, and dancing together inside the museum premises as a Bengali folk song plays in the background. “With so many reels of our tourists behaving badly abroad, here’s a lovely exception. A Bengali song bringing together people at Van Gogh Museum. Culture is spread best when it creates joy, not disruption,” Goenka wrote on X.
Watch here:
With so many reels of our tourists behaving badly abroad, here’s a lovely exception. A Bengali song bringing together people at Van Gogh Museum. Culture is spread best when it creates joy, not disruption. pic.twitter.com/PFb0lZJ84K
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) June 9, 2026
Amsterdam-based fashion student Aishwarya Bhattacharjee originally organised the event. Reflecting on the experience on Instagram, she shared that watching people from different cultures dance to Bengali music in one of Europe’s most celebrated museums felt surreal.
She added that the gathering gave her a strong sense of belonging and connection to her roots. She said the experience felt like a tribute to those who came before her, adding that she felt she was making her ancestors proud and described it as a moment she would never forget.
“Growing up here wasn’t easy, I often felt alone, isolated, like I didn’t belong. But that day felt different. For a moment, everything shifted. Watching people from different cultures come together and dance to Bengali music at the Van Gogh Museum felt surreal. It felt like I mattered,” she captioned the post.
“Seeing my parents smile, feeling their pride, sharing my culture with the world, it meant everything to me. And in a way I can’t fully explain, it felt like I was making my ancestors proud too… like they were watching over me in that moment,” she added.
The video has since gone viral, winning plaudits. “This is beautiful. As a bengali Indian it makes me sad because, had there not been a partition, the entire Bengali community of one single country could have rejoiced seeing this. I am still rejoicing though. Bangali toh afterall. Kudos to you,” a user wrote.
“I love this song! I cover this very often! Created by Zahid Ahmed, this song was sung by Anusheh Anadil for the album Kingkortobbobimur by the band Bangla in the year 2002,” another user noted.
A celebration of music and culture at Amsterdam’s iconic Van Gogh Museum is winning hearts after a Bengali folk song drew visitors from across the world into an impromptu dance moment. The event gained momentum after industrialist Harsh Goenka shared a video of the event.
The viral video shows visitors of different nationalities smiling, clapping, and dancing together inside the museum premises as a Bengali folk song plays in the background. “With so many reels of our tourists behaving badly abroad, here’s a lovely exception. A Bengali song bringing together people at Van Gogh Museum. Culture is spread best when it creates joy, not disruption,” Goenka wrote on X.
Watch here:
With so many reels of our tourists behaving badly abroad, here’s a lovely exception. A Bengali song bringing together people at Van Gogh Museum. Culture is spread best when it creates joy, not disruption. pic.twitter.com/PFb0lZJ84K
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) June 9, 2026
Amsterdam-based fashion student Aishwarya Bhattacharjee originally organised the event. Reflecting on the experience on Instagram, she shared that watching people from different cultures dance to Bengali music in one of Europe’s most celebrated museums felt surreal.
She added that the gathering gave her a strong sense of belonging and connection to her roots. She said the experience felt like a tribute to those who came before her, adding that she felt she was making her ancestors proud and described it as a moment she would never forget.
“Growing up here wasn’t easy, I often felt alone, isolated, like I didn’t belong. But that day felt different. For a moment, everything shifted. Watching people from different cultures come together and dance to Bengali music at the Van Gogh Museum felt surreal. It felt like I mattered,” she captioned the post.
“Seeing my parents smile, feeling their pride, sharing my culture with the world, it meant everything to me. And in a way I can’t fully explain, it felt like I was making my ancestors proud too… like they were watching over me in that moment,” she added.
The video has since gone viral, winning plaudits. “This is beautiful. As a bengali Indian it makes me sad because, had there not been a partition, the entire Bengali community of one single country could have rejoiced seeing this. I am still rejoicing though. Bangali toh afterall. Kudos to you,” a user wrote.
“I love this song! I cover this very often! Created by Zahid Ahmed, this song was sung by Anusheh Anadil for the album Kingkortobbobimur by the band Bangla in the year 2002,” another user noted.
