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 Amrit Yuva Kalotsav in Lucknow - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com February 20, 2023 Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), UP Sangeet Natak Akademi and Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth (Lucknow) organised a three day festival of music, dance and drama known as Amrit Yuva Kalotsav 2022-23 at Sant Ghadge Prakshagirh, Lucknow, from 13th to 15th January. The festival was inaugurated by the chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Dr Sandhya Purecha and the chief guest was Mukesh Kumar Meshram, principal secretary of culture and tourism department of Uttar Pradesh and chairman of Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lucknow. Amrit Yuva Kalotsav is being organized all over the country to mark 75 years of Independence, hence 75 programs are being organized in various parts of the country to encourage young talents in the field of music, dance and drama. In Jammu, Bhopal, Lucknow, Mumbai the festival has already been organized and the highlight of the festival is the Art Appreciation workshops being organized in which senior and accomplished arts critics, journalists, scholars, eminent artists and academicians voice their opinions and experiences in this field which is vital and important for the promotion and propagation of India's rich cultural heritage which is acclaimed internationally.  Pharuwahi folk dance The festival commenced with Rang Raag, a play in Hindi by the group from Bhagalpur, Bihar, directed by Kumar Chaitanya Prakash that incorporates the story of a folk artist whose memorial is erected after his death, Dhedhiya dance by Deepshika and group, sitar-santoor jugalbandi by Neeraj Mishra and Kumar Sarang, Varanasi, and Kathak dance by Saurav and Gaurav Mishra. The second day the interesting and captivating display of Ramayana in the format of Rod and Glove puppets by Kaptan Singh Karndhar, Gaganika Sanskritik Samiti, Lucknow, followed with Hindustani vocal recital by Indresh Mishra and group from Varanasi, Odissi by Vaishnavi Kala Kendra, Noida, Diwari folk dance by Krishna Pal and group from Banda (UP), Kathak by Natwar Rangam, Indore and Hindi play 'Shaheedon Ne Lau Jagoi Jo' - the stark reality and sacrifices for India's independence, directed by Manish Saini and presented by Devanchalam Rangmandal, Lucknow. The finale day's program started with Hindi play 'Saru' that picturized the pathetic sufferings of the transgenders, directed by Shiv Narayan Kunder and enacted by Indravati Natya Samiti, Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh, the thrilling Pharuwahi folk dance group led by Mukesh Kumar from Ayodhya, Bharatanatyam by dancers from Rudrakshi Foundation, Varanasi, Crescendo instrumental music ensemble led by Kumar Shubhashish Pathak from Delhi and Kathak by Lachchu Maharaj Ballet Centre, Lucknow.  Rudrakshi Foundation Folk dances are performed on different social and religious occasions and some of the folk dances have ritualistic significance too. The Dhedhiya dance of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, was presented by Deepshika and her group of female dancers that celebrates marriage and the customs and tradition attached to it. It was a pleasure to watch the dancers dancing with unity and holding each other's hands while dancing to fine percussion music played by the males. In contrast was the all males group that performed the Diwari dance from Uttar Pradesh, led by Krishna Pal. Over 16 dancers danced on the stick while holding them, quite incredible as it was not easy; moreover, they executed several acrobatic stunts too that proved their agility and command over various steps. The Pharuwahi dancers went a step further by executing stunts while standing on the sticks and performing various balancing acts with wheels on the head and holding wheels in both the hands too. Such incredible acts by the dancers but unfortunately the audience turnout was quite limited. In the classical dance segment, the first Kathak dancers to steal the show were the twin brothers Saurav and Gaurav Mishra from Varanasi. After the Ganapati Vandana, they executed rhythmic patterns with ease and precision. What is most amazing about this duo is that they move in fine coordination with each other, with inclusive and exclusive movements, while maintaining the musical harmony. The brothers were ably supported on the tabla by Zain Khan. They concluded their sparkling performance with "Damru Baje" in praise of Lord Nataraja. Odissi by dancers from Vaishali Kala Kendra led by Jyoti Shrivastava, commenced with the traditional Mangalacharan, the Shiva Stuti incorporating Ganga Avartanam and finally the Saveri Pallavi which besides displaying the musical rhythmic movements, forms a fine synthesis of both music and melody and also for the incorporation of the sculpturesque poses of the Konark temple in Orissa. Kathak dancers of Natvar Rangam from Indore are the disciples of the veteran mentor Guru Puru Dadheech and Vibha Dadheech. It was a pleasure to watch them, revealing their fine layakari and teyyari. The dancers were Harshita, Damayanti, Ambika, Sujeet and Kaushik. Taking the legacy forward of the veteran maestro Guru Shankar Hombal, Rudrakshi Foundation in Varanasi is training talented dancers which was quite evident with their wonderful performance, After Shivashtakam, an innovative number based on the poetic interpretation of Makhanlal's 'Pushp ki Abhilasha' (Ambition of the flower) was performed with subtle expressions and movements. The dancers concluded with the intricate Pantuvarali Thillana winning appreciation from the audience. Premchand and Mala Hombal are now the distinct pillars of the Rudrakshi Foundation.  Lachchu Maharaj Ballet Centre The last performers of the festival were the dancers from Lachchu Maharaj Ballet Centre, headed by veteran Kathak exponent Kum Kum Adarsh. Seven dancers. five females and two males, elegantly attired in golden colour ghagra with a maroon jacket, danced to "Damru har har baje" with effortless ease and proficiency, marking it a grand finale to the three day festival. The art criticism workshop in Lucknow was held in the auditorium of Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth for two days on 14th and 15th January. While inaugurating the workshop, Dr Sandhya Purecha said, "The art criticism or art appreciation workshop is really important as the critics have a major role in taking performing arts on a larger spectrum. Hence it is important the students of performing arts and youngsters participate in such workshops in order to gain knowledge from the experience of senior critics, writers and scholars in the field. The workshop is available online too and I am glad that about five thousand participants are already participating in this unique workshop. We will shortly conduct these workshops all over India for a larger and wider reach." The senior writers, critics and academicians who spoke in the art criticism workshop were Prof Surya Mohan Kulshresth, veteran theatre personality, writer and director, Prof Suneera Kasliwal, music critic and professor, veteran journalist and critic Shyamhari Chakra, senior journalist and editor of 'Naad Rang' and 'Chhayanut' (UP Sangeet Natak Akademi) Alok Paradkar and yours truly. Eminent folk artist Malini Awasthi participated online. The guest speakers spoke about their varied experiences and stressed the point that in order to become a fine and successful critic, one should have sound knowledge of the arts and command over the language.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
