Lok Gatha Utsav: Promoting India’s Folk Traditions
Come and listen to the story of Mewar Queen Padmavati’s inspiring life and her act of bravery and several such stories about the great personalities of India in new and interesting ways at the Lok Gatha festival being held at the Indira Gandhi National Art Center (IGNCA), New Delhi. The six-day festival organised by IGNCA in collaboration with the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI), New Delhi, to mark the birth centenary year of Rashtrishi Nanaji Deshmukh opened on November 28 with an aim to mainstream tales and folklore associated with different cultures across India.
The inaugural performance was the internationally acclaimed ‘Manganiyar Seduction’ from Rajasthan, choreographed by the famous art director and composer Roysten Abel. Himachal Pradesh’s traditional folk dance-drama Doda was another attraction at the festival. Folk artists from Chhattisgarh presented their traditional Panthi dance to spread the message of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. Madhubani artworks on mud cottages and Kutch embroideries from Gujarat are other attractions for every visitor to the folktale festival.
Around 500 traditional folk artists from all over the country have been invited to present the rich traditional cultural heritage of India built around their narrative traditions. The festival also offers a rich variety of traditional crafts, textiles, martial arts, procession theatre, rituals and stage performances. Besides, there are special arts and crafts workshops for school children to learn from the artisans.
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