Attaining harmony through culture

Arts festival

This ten-day long festival has a mix of different cultures presented by various artistes from the country and also outside. A day was dedicated to a group of young artistes from the Philippines alongside folk dance troupes from Indian states of
Karnataka and Orissa.

From the lively tunes to local customs, folk tales and colourful costumes, the Filipinos showcased everything about their culture at the Freedom Park and engaged the audience to join them in the dancing and singing. It was an outstanding evening in every sense of the term.

The day had other interesting things in store too. There was a folk dance
performance from Karnataka called Beesu kamsale. This particular dance form had a blend of aesthetic sublimity and martial dexterity. It narrated the glory of Lord Mahadeswara Shiva.

The singers were dressed in the traditional colours of gold, orange and green and had a pair of cymbal-like discs made of bronze. These instruments called kamsale, when hit together, formed a rhythm with the songs taken from the Mahadeswara epic exalting the glory of the Lord Mahadeswara.

Besides this, there were artistes from Orissa who presented the Ghumura Folk Dance which has similarities with classical dance as well. The typical mixed sound that originated out of the musical instruments like ghumura, nishan, dhol, taal, madal and the expressions and movements of the artistes made this a treat to watch.

Says Veena Murthy Vijay, co-founder of AIM, “This festival is all about harmony which is important given the turmoil that prevails and culture is the main tool to bring harmony.

This is one global platform for folk artistes from around the world, and when they share a stage with our own people it helps in establishing great camaraderie. Throughout the globe, there are different international festivals. So this festival is of great importance for us too.” She adds, “Bangalore has an audience that welcomes everybody.”

The classical performances that were presented on that day were exceptional and many who came to witness the show had a word of praise for the artistes. The audience comprised of both young and old and also some from the expat community.

Says Kavita, who had attended the festival earlier also, “Last year, the festival had an interesting line up of different cultural performances. This year’s festival is even better and interesting. Not many know about the Philippine’s culture, so this was a great way to educate the people.” The festival with its global appeal aims to celebrate arts in an apt way.