Young artists enchant Delhiites at Aarambh XIV
A festival which started with an aim of providing young Indian artists a platform began its 14th edition on February 18, with a soulful 'Dhrupad' recital and a Kathak dance performance.
Launched in September 2017 by the Raza Foundation, 'Aarambh' series invites two artists from different genres and various parts of the country to perform before art enthusiasts every month at two different locations in Delhi.
The first day of Aarambh witnessed the brilliance of Anuj Pratap Singh and Shivalika Kataria as they filled the evening with their command over Dhrupad recital and the Kathak performance, respectively.
Accompanied by Pandit Sanjay Agle on the Pakhawaj, and Rohit Kumar and Akansha Bhondeley on Tanpura, Anuj began the evening with 'Raag vihag in aalap', 'madhyaaalap' and 'drutaalap' followed by the composition 'Jamuna jal sajni ri kaise jau…'
Accompanied by Shakeel Ahmed Khan on Tabla, Shivalika – a National scholarship awardee by the Ministry of Culture – commenced her performance with 'Shiv stuti'.
The whole presentation – with Naseer Khan on Sarangi, Vishvdeep on padhant, and Santosh Sinha on harmonium – moved forward with 'Nritta' in which the rhythm blooms through special features of Jaipur Gharana. She then concluded her performance with a traditional 'thumri'.
The second day of Aarambh at the Triveni Kala Sangam on February 19 witnessed a Surbahar recital by Bhushan Koshti and an Odissi performance by Koushik Das.
Bowing down to the god of beginning, Ganesh, Koushik began his Odissi recital with Mangalacharan. He was accompanied by Guru Prafulla Mangaraj on Pakhawaj, Prsanta Kumar on vocals, and Dhiraj Kumar Pandey on flute.
'Aarambh XIV' was organised under the Raza Foundation's ongoing annual 'Raza Utsav' which aims to bring together the passion for contemporary visions and creativity.
On February 20, The Raza Utsav held a series of talks about Mahatma Gandhi to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary. The talk was delivered by Professor Vinit Haksar on Satyagraha and the Conquest of Evil at the India International Centre.
