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Nrityanjali showcases Maharashtrian culture in Berlin March 22, 2014 March 2014 celebrates the meet of cultures from across the globe. Their common meeting point is the ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Borse) Berlin festival organized by the World Travel and Tourism Council to promote tourism and acts as a platform for countries to showcase their culture and food and extend invitations to visit them. This is the world’s largest tourism trade fare. India Tourism is one of the active participants at this festival showcasing Indian culture, Indian cuisines and Indian destinations. What was different this year? This year Maharashtra Tourism had been an independent participant at the festival promoting Maharashtra as a new destination for tourism, highlighting its strength and variety, still unknown to the world. Nrityanjali, the institute of performing arts, education, personality development and management services led by Dr. Tushar Guha, was invited on behalf of the Tourism Department to represent Maharashtra and showcase Maharashtra culture through dance performances. A special interaction with the media and the who’s who was held on 6th March 2014 at the Indian Embassy, Berlin. Nrityanjali artistes, a team of 8, offered a virtual tour of Maharashtra to the audiences through its performances, its narrative and demonstrations.   The performances included Nandi, a creative dance, danced to an invocation song for Lord Ganesha and Naman, paying obeisance to Lord Ganesha.  Vasudev depicted the revered artistes who sing praises of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama and wander from village to village. This was followed by the energetic Lezim dance. The other dance performances included the popular Lavani and Vagia Murali dances. Vagia Murali is danced in the praise of Lord Khandoba. The finale was the Koli dance by the fisher folk that reflected the joy and spontaneity of the coastal region of Maharashtra. The artistes also had a similar performance on 11th March at the Indian Embassy, Milano, Italy. The Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. Sumit Mullik, representing the Govt. of Maharashtra also made a brief presentation showcasing the wonders of Maharashtra. The enthusiasm of the audience was evident with them clicking photographs with the artistes and also through media acknowledgement.