Anjali Singh is a volunteer coordinator for Cansupport Daycare and Uma Prakash writes for an art magazine and curates exhibitions. Not that it has anything to do with our story on their latest initiative—the Gurgaon Utsav—being held today at the Aravali Bio Diversity Park, but it’s interesting to note how two individuals are trying to find time from their packed family and professional schedules to bring to the suburb of Gurgaon its own arts festival.
The utsav, a residents’ effort to create an oasis for the performing arts, started on November 29 and concludes today. Promoting the Indian folk tradition among modern, fast-paced Gurgaon dwellers was the idea behind putting this effort together. “We want it to be a platform where the residents would have an opportunity to relish the performing arts. In the past year, we’ve had sufi music, qawwali, dastangoi (storytelling) and artists like Sonam Kalra. We took advantage of the rocks in the park and lit them up creating a dramatic backdrop,” says Anjali, the co-organiser.
The three-day festival commenced with the play Piya Behrupiya from Mumbai, upholding the nautanki tradition to tell a Shakespearean tale. Hari and Sukhmani were up next on November 30, along with the Pakistan-based band, Laal.
Today, the festival concludes with folk artiste Malini Awasthi’s performance, who the other organiser Uma says is her personal favourite. ‘‘We want the utsav to happen several times a year, so that it creates an atmosphere for the promotion of performing arts. On an optimistic note, I invite everybody to get a glimpse of the carnival lined ahead,” she says.
Date December 1 (Today)
Time 7 pm onwards
Venue Amphitheatre, Aravali Bio Diversity Park, Gurgaon, Mehrauli
Entry Free