After a virtual edition of the Aavartan Festival last year, Devi Durga Kathak Sansthan (DDKS) in association with the Ministry of Culture is here with the second edition of the music and dance fest on April 10 at Triveni Kala Sangam. Earlier, the event was slated to start on March 28, but was got postponed due to the new government directives.
Kathak dancer-guru Geetanjali Lal, Organiser, says, “All events were cancelled in the wake of Holi. But now, we have got the permission to hold the event,” adds Lal. Lal had created this society in memory of two great maestros Pt Devi Lal and Pt Durga Lal to give artists and upcoming talent a platform. She says, “Aaavartan means ‘time cycle’, where the beginning and the end are submerged into each other. This represents continuity and gives meaning to existence in a full circle.
We will continue to showcase wonderful performances every year for all Rasikas in the time cycle of infinity.” The evening will begin with Shiv Stuti choreographed by Lal with Manjari, Kavya, and Swasti. This will be followed by a talk on classical arts by Pt Vijay Shankar, Taal Vaadya Kacheri led by Pranshu Chatur Lal, and the event will conclude with a grand solo Kathak performance by Abhimanyu Lal along with Tabla maestro Ustaad Akram Khan.
This duo will be performing together for the first time. They will be accompanied by Salman Khan on Pakhawaj, Vijay Parihar on Vocals, and Salim Kumar on Sitar. “For the past several months, artistes had adapted to a new virtual medium to promote and preserve the art. The audience and performers were not face to face. But this event will help artistes’ hard work to reach the hearts of art lovers directly to them. The idea is to only promote and propagate true art and artists and make the world more peaceful and blissful,” she adds. Artistes were more than happy to be a part of a public event, she shares.
They are taking a lot of care because they will be performing live after a long time. Though the entry is open to all, people will be allowed to enter only after temperature checks and sanitisation. Sanitisation system has been put in place. Triveni kala Sangam hall has 150 seats but every alternate seat will be blocked to ensure social distancing,” she adds. Her team is already gung-ho to plan Aavartan 2022. “At DDKS, we aim at producing and propagating art all the time, so our minds are constantly working on what next,” Lal concludes.