Presenting a feast of cross-cultural performances by national and international artistes at the start of October is the 18th edition of Lalit Arpan Festival.
Conceptualised by Kathak doyen, Padma Shri Shovana Narayan, the two-day festival will have solo Kathak performances by Komal Biswas and Afsar Mulla, and dance ballets, Rashmirathi by Shovana Narayan and Asavari Repertory and on Swachh Bharat by Kavita Thakur and her group.
Lalit Arpan 2019 pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary and noted poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar on his 111th birth anniversary. All the performances will feature ideas and essence of these two great personalities.
While Biswal’s solo will reflect Gandhi’s ideas on women emancipation and empowerment, the Swachh Bharat ballet will reflect his idea of Clean India.
Based on Dinkar’s work, Rashmirathi dance ballet will reflect the trauma and sacrifice of the Mahabharata character, Karna, and through him, Gandhiji’s views – “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
The festival will also showcase two clips from old videos of two dance enactments, Mohan and Rambha and Sanmati, in the early 1990s on Gandhi’s thoughts in the scripts penned by his grandson and eminent philosopher, late Professor Ramchandra Gandhi.
Ahead of the festival, we spoke to Shovana Narayan, who will enact Kunti, the mother of the five Pandavas as well as Karna whom she had abandoned after birth. In the act, Kunti is seen seeking Karna’s assistance in the battle against the Kauravas.
This is the festival’s 18th edition. How do you feel while reminiscing the time when you started?
I have beautiful memories of all the performances over the last 17 years. My only regret is that Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan [tabla maestro], with whom I had started this festival, is no more with us.
How happy he would have been to see the festival’s growth, and that the spirit of continuing the tradition of preservation and nurturing the classical performing arts has continued unabated.
So far we’ve featured over 95 artistes from India’s classical genres as well as abroad. It is so gratifying to see that Dr Jyotsna Suri and the India Habitat Centre continue to hold our hands in this journey.
Have you been able to fulfill the aim with which you started Lalit Arpan Festival?
The aim of this festival was to provide a platform to young artistes as well as to also showcase them with the senior ones and hence help them gain confidence.
Alongside, the aim was also to present to the rasikas, various dimensions of the rich canvas of classical performing arts through solo and group presentations, and dance dramas and ensembles. We have had different themes and formats of presentation every year, and we are happy that the rasikas have responded with great enthusiasm, warmth and interest.
The young artistes bring in freshness. They are revelations to the connoisseurs and rasikas who are introduced to the next generation of torchbearers.
Is the young generation motivated enough towards classical art?
Young artistes are dedicated, passionate and have good command over technical aspects of their art form. Their performances have left behind feelings that classical performing arts’ heritage will continue to be nurtured and carried forward against all odds and despite the onslaught of all commercialism and globalisation.
These young artistes are well entrenched in their classical heritage and proud of this heritage and at the same time are also global citizens, comfortable in all milieus.
When: September 30 and October 1
Time: 7:00pm onwards
Where: Stein Auditorium, IHC, New Delhi