  We present $UBVI_C$ CCD photometry of the young open cluster Be 59 with the
aim to study the star formation scenario in the cluster. The radial extent of
the cluster is found to be $\sim$ 10 arcmin (2.9 pc). The interstellar
extinction in the cluster region varies between $E(B-V) \simeq$ 1.4 to 1.8 mag.
The ratio of total-to-selective extinction in the cluster region is estimated
as $3.7\pm0.3$. The distance of the cluster is found to be $1.00\pm0.05$ kpc.
Using near-infrared colours and slitless spectroscopy, we have identified young
stellar objects (YSOs) in the open cluster Be 59 region. The ages of these YSOs
range between $<1$ Myr to $\sim$ 2 Myr, whereas the mean age of the massive
stars in the cluster region is found to be $\sim$ 2 Myr. There is evidence for
second generation star formation outside the boundary of the cluster, which may
be triggered by massive stars in the cluster. The slope of the initial mass
function, $\Gamma$, in the mass range $2.5 < M/M_\odot \le 28$ is found to be
$-1.01\pm0.11$ which is shallower than the Salpeter value (-1.35), whereas in
the mass range $1.5 < M/M_\odot \le 2.5$ the slope is almost flat. The slope of
the K-band luminosity function is estimated as $0.27\pm0.02$, which is smaller
than the average value ($\sim$0.4) reported for young embedded clusters.
Approximately 32% of H$\alpha$ emission stars of Be 59 exhibit NIR excess
indicating that inner disks of the T-Tauri star (TTS) population have not
dissipated. The MSX and IRAS-HIRES images around the cluster region are also
used to study the emission from unidentified infrared bands and to estimate the
spatial distribution of optical depth of warm and cold interstellar dust.
