Young artists take traditional arts forward at cultural fest

A new festival is showcasing young artists taking forward traditional Indian art forms here. 'SOPAN - A Festival of Young Musicians and Dancers', organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad, that began on March 3 here, is featuring different forms of classical art, from vocals and instruments to dance forms. The six-day festival inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia opened with a rendition of the National Anthem by Alisha Mohan. "Sopan is a great platform for young artists taking forward our traditional arts.

Looking at this brilliant line-up of young talent, we can be assured our heritage is in safe hands," Sisodia said. The politician added that the classical arts were being threatened despite the hard work put in by artists and that it was imperative to increase the patronage and make the arts accessible to more people. The opening day also witnessed performances by Neeraj Kumar on tabla, as well as a Mohiniyattam sequence by Aishwarya Radhakrishnan, and a Kathak performance by Samreetha Chandra. The second day was kicked-off by Azmat Ali Khan on vocals, followed by Roshan Prasanna on sarod, and Vishwanath Mangraj's Odissi performance among others. Other performances on the first few days of the festival included Mrinalini Nair's Kathakali performance, and a Kathak performance by Shikha Sharmna based on a traditional bidaai or farewell song composed in Raga Desh, portraying the subtle and realistic bhav presentation of Lucknow gharana. The line-up on the upcoming days of the festival will see Ravi Pal presenting 'Aaj So Bana' in Raag Puriya Kalyan, followed by Navaneeta Krishnan's carnatic vocals. Navneeta will be seen presenting 'Gajananayutham' in Ragam Chakravakam, as well as a 'keerthanam' based on the rare Raga Surya. She will also perform 'Nena runchi Nanu' composed by Thyagaraja, a krithi in praise of Lord Shiva and a thillana in Ragam Kamas. The final day of the festival will see Mohit Dobhal and Shivani on vocals, and a Bharatanatyam sequence by Doordarshan grade artist Parvathy Ramesh and Kathak by Sumit Sridhar will close the show on March 8.

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