It is once again that time of the year when the Doon valley comes alive with autumn festivities, the most extravagant of them being Virasat, the grand, multi-faceted folklife festival being held here for 20 years. It is organised in the valley by Rural Entrepreneurship for Art and Cultural Heritage (REACH) .
This year’s Virasat, to begin in October, will be the 20th edition of the festival. The festival has evolved beautifully over the years and provides a unique opportunity for meeting of minds, where internationally known film directors, performers, authors, poets, media personalities share the space with folk artistes, painters, sculptors, academicians from India and abroad.
People of Doon and its surrounding towns as well as tourists eagerly await this two-week long fest as it brings together world-renowned artistes in Doon and also familiarises people with the cultural and artistic heritage of Uttarakhand.
Festivals like Virasat can help realise the dream of making Uttarakhand the cultural capital of India. This event, down the years, has been inspiring young minds to understand our rich culture and civilisation. It inculcates the love for arts and heritage among the younger generation. Some of those who have been at “Virasat” over the years are Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Govind Nihalani, Prakash Jha, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Bismillah Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Sonal Mansingh, Habib Tanvir, Nida Fazli, Ghulam Ali, Maqbool Farid Sabri, Jagjit Singh and Naseeruddin Shah.
Virasat has thus become the pride of Uttarakhand as it brings here every year renowned artistes from all parts of our country besides providing a platform to regional artists Evolved on the lines of the Theban celebrations of Ancient Greece, the international festival aims at creating a perfect atmosphere for the flow of knowledge and the ennobling effect of true art. Along with familiarising people with the arts and crafts of various parts of the country and abroad, the festival lends a special dimension to the beauty of the festive season in the valley which is teeming with tourists during the time the fest is held. It becomes a meeting place for people during the festive days where they can enjoy excellent performances of dance, music and theatre besides shopping at stalls displaying quality craft and cloth items, brassware, leather goods and various goods from all parts of India.
Meeting up at Virasat is now only too familiar an activity in the Doon valley.