Bangladeshi artistes break ice, perform at Maha Kumbh

Prayagraj: While politics and diplomacy struggled to mend the bridge, faith seems to have pulled off the job with elan.

In what looked to be the first official cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year and the subsequent unrest in the neighbouring nation where minority Hindus were allegedly targeted, a group of Bangladeshi artistes were partly sponsored by the Muhammad Yunus regime to perform at the Maha Kumbh.

A six-member dance troupe from Bangladesh performed at the Kumbh's 13,000-seater Ganga Pandal, the makeshift central cultural hub, on Saturday evening at the inaugural session of the 10th India International Dance and Music Festival.

The event was hosted jointly by the UP government and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which works under the Ministry of External Affairs.

The participation followed Bangladesh's absence from key cultural events in India, such as the recently concluded International Kolkata Book Fair 2025 and the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival in December last year.

Bangladesh had been a consistent participant in these events until recently.

The troupe, part of a 107-member delegation of foreign artistes representing 10 nations, was led by Rachel Priyanka Persis, an assistant professor at Dhaka University's dance department.

The troupe showcased the Gaudiya dance, a Vaishnava form based on religious stories, poetry and music.

Following their two-day performance at the Mahakumbh on February 22 and 23, the delegation is scheduled to perform in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya before their final show in Delhi later this month.

"I feel fortunate to be able to perform amid this sea of humanity. The Maha Kumbh carries a spiritual legacy of 144 years. I would thank the Indian High Commission for its invitation. We had no problems in obtaining our visas," Priyanka said and introduced the other members of her team -- Mousumi, Laboni, Rini, Raisa and Pinki.

Participating alongside India and Bangladesh were artistes from Russia, Mongolia, Rwanda, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Africa and Fiji, officials said.

The event was part of the Cultural Exchange Programme Agreement (CEPA) between India and several nations, aimed at promoting Indian culture abroad and exposing local artistes to international art and culture, they said.

"According to CEPA, the ICCR shoulders the financial burden of the visiting artistes in terms of their accommodation, local transport and visa arrangements. The respective foreign government, on the other hand, pays for their airfare. The arrangement was honoured by the Bangladeshi government like all the other foreign nations," said ICCR Director General K Nandini Singla.

She highlighted the role of culture and spirituality in building bonds between people where relations have strained on account of changing politics.

"Culture never stops to connect," she said, "Governments may come and go, politics and leaders may change but the heart-to-heart bonds don’t fade because they are built on emotions. No political leader may come and change the way you look at another country or a different culture. That’s why our connections with countries have endured for millennia." The DG built on the theme of the evening’s performance, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the Upanishadic phrase meaning 'the world is one family', to elaborate her point.

"The theme reflects the 'sangam' of culture. Performing at the Maha Kumbh, where the confluence of three rivers creates divinity, would entail the core message that we are one. The Kumbh is a great equaliser. True, one could be a Bangladeshi and face political difficulties, but at the end of the day, we are all humans with the same aspirations, needs and fears. Those emotions of the heart always overpower the thought processes of the brain," she said.

A joint performance of all artistes has been choreographed by renowned Kathak exponent Rani Khanum to form the evening’s crescendo on stage following the showcasing of individual cultures by the nations, officials said.

"This is the first time that ICCR is holding the inauguration of the international dance festival outside Delhi," ICCR's Deputy Director General Anju Ranjan.

"After all, this opportunity has come to us after 144 years and we could not let it go," she added.