Delhi cultural scene active during Navratra

New Delhi, Sept 28: As the capital city Delhi soaks in the spirit of the 'Navratra' season, which culminates in Dussehra festival, there has been a burst of activities on the city's cultural scene.

While the staging of 'Ramleela' by various Ramleela committees in different areas is already on, 'suffusing' Delhiites further with the 'Navratra' fervour are a host of 'Dandiya festivals' being held in the capital.

Setting off the Navratra season was the launch of the famous Ramleela near the historical Red Fort last night by the famous Luv Kush Ramleela Committee. The Ramleela, which is being staged at Delhi ramleela ground for the last several decades, began with a 'akhand jyoti pooja' in which Vishwa Hindu Parishad president Ashok Singhal participated.

The beginning of the staging was preceded by a colourful 'rath yatra' in the Old Delhi area depicting the procession of the marriage between the legendary Lord Ram and Sita. Reflecting the secular character of India was the participation in the procession by representatives of the Hindi, Muslim, Sikh and Christian community.

Similar Ramleelas being held in various parts of Delhi have lent a festive look to the various areas with the site of the Ramleela witnessing a burst in cultural activities in the evenings like fairs and song and dance programmes.

Adding colour to the festivities are a host of festivals showcasing the Gujarati dance form of Dandiya.

For example, the International institute of Fashion Technology is holding a Dandiya festival at the famous Garden of Five Senses in South Delhi.

Being organized in association with Delhi Tourism and Team Spirit, 'Rhythm 2006'-Dandiya Festival' was inaugurated on September 22 with a host of song and dance performances by performing artists trained in colourful dance forms like Garba, Dandiya Raas, Heenal and Teen Tal.

The ten-day festival, which ends on October 2, will see several of these artists performing to the beats of the 'Dandiya' to soak the Delhiites in the spirit of 'Navratri'.

Yet another Dandiya festival, being organised at the Mittal gardens on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, will witness a host of celebrities from the tinself world of Mumbai like playback singer Sonu Nigam, Bollywood's sultry siren Mallika Sherawat, playback singer Shibani Kashyap, television stars Rajeshwari Sachdev and Varun Badola, among others, presenting song and dance performances.

'Dandiya Beats 2006', which was inaugurated with a 'Maha Aarti' yesterday, will see the immensely talented singer Sonu Nigam and Mallika Sherawat regaling the audiences with their stage performances.

The holding of the dandiya Festivals and the huge response generated by them show that celebrations showcasing the Gujarat dance form, usually limited to Maharashtra and Gujarat, have this year caught on in a big way with Delhiites too.

For example, the inauguration of the 'Rhythm 2006' and 'Dandiya Beats 2006' witnessed a huge crowd of Delhiites applauding the performances of the stage artists with many of them themselves swaying to the beats of the dandiya.

Infact, training courses of the dandiya dance form has evoked a tremendous response in Delhi from people from all walks of life and running across all age groups.

Hundreds of people are said to have enrolled themselves in these courses with an eye on the Dandita celebrations during the Navratra season.

Infact, interest in the traditional Gujarati dance form has in the last couple of years, been growing among people in North India as is evident from the growing number of dandiya classes in Kanpur and now Delhi with hundreds of people of all ages joining them to polish their dancing skills.

Perhaps, it has something to do with the popularising of the dance form by Bollywood through songs like 'Dholi Taro' from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Hum Dil De chuke Sanam' or an increasing number of dance-based shows on television.

Whatever the reason, the burst in cultural activities arising from it has added richness to the 'Navratra fervour'.

UNI