Toronto: The 28th annual North American Bengali Conference (NABC) begins here Friday. Over 6,000 people from North America, India, Europe and the Gulf will attend the three-day conference billed as the biggest Bengali cultural show outside of West Bengal.

Organized by the local Prabasi Bengali Cultural Association (PBCA), the conference will showcase Bengali culture, art and literature to audiences in North America.

"At this annual gathering, we share the richness of our rich Bengali culture with our new generation born here and North American society. The three-day extravaganza will have everything - from Rabindra Sangeet to modern music to drama to films to folk dances to literary, cultural and business seminars," Dhruba Ghosh, co-chair for funding for the conference, told IANS.

Apart from dozens of Bengali solo and group performers, the conference will also feature a large number of artists from India and elsewhere in modern vocal, classical, baul, dance, band and drama performances.

An exhibition on Satyajit Ray, a seminar on his work and screening of some of his films will be another important feature of the event.

Various seminars will discuss issues of youth, women and seniors in the North American milieu. Harinder Takhar, the Indo-Canadian minister in the Ontario provincial government, will preside over a seminar on business opportunities between India and Canada.