Festival of Young Musicians and Dancers lights up Delhi with the power of youth

They are young, they are talented and they are the torch bearers who are carrying India’s profound art forms emphatically to the next generation. Delhi’s Central Park has thrown open its premises to some of India’s most talented young artists in classical art forms.

A six-day Festival of Young Musicians and Dancers, presented by the Sahitya Kala Parishad, and Department of Art, Culture and Languages is hosting 24 young exponents of Indian music and dance forms who are inarguably the future of Indian art.

The festival was inaugurated on Tuesday by Shri Somnath Bharti, Minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture, Delhi Government. Ms Rinku Dugga, the new Secretary, Art, Culture and Language was also present.

Dance forms from all parts of the country – from Kathak to Kuchipudi to Manipuri and Odissi and young music exponents of Santoor, Sarod, Tabla, and Violin – all have come together to make the festival a celebration of India’s multifarious art forms.

“It is a commonly held belief that common people do not much appreciate classical art forms. The entire purpose of bringing a festival of classical music and dance to the Central Park for the first time was to let the common man come and hear and watch our indigenous art forms. To be honest, we were a little apprehensive about whether it would turn out to be popular. But, a fantastic audience turned up on the opening day and it was very heartening,” says Smt Sindhu Mishra, deputy secretary, Sahitya Kala Parishad.

Shri Somnath Bharti was visibly impressed by the few performances he watched on the first day and felt ‘honored’ to be a part of the inauguration.

The second of the festival today saw Anirudh Bhardwaj regale the audience with his melodious play of the flute, while the young and talented Kamal Sabri lived up to his illustrious family’s reputation by winning many a heart with his performance on Sarangi. The day was completed by young dancers Shalakha Rai and Richa Jain rendering impressive performances in Odissi and Kathak respectively.

“We have some really great music maestros who have mastered their arts and created legacies that are difficult to emulate. Be it Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan, or Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia or the late Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustaad Bismillah Khan sahib, these legendary classical music exponents have set the benchmark really high. However, it is encouraging that we have precious young talent that is ready to step into the shoes of their seniors and find their own feet. This festival is the celebration of this young talent,” said Smt Mishra.

The festival bears witness to the fact that when it comes to performing arts, there is no dearth of talent in the country and that the young generation too is at the fore front of the traditional Indian musical scene.