People of all age groups arrived at the Jaunsar Mahotsav on Sunday to get a glimpse of different aspects of the folk culture of the Jaunsar-Bawar region. The visitors from Jaunsar region and other areas appreciated the opportunity to enjoy not only the folk music and dances but also to taste the traditional recipes of the region and learn about the traditions of the region.
Aruna Kothari, one of the women from Chakrata said, “The performances by various artistes were quite good. I am from Chakrata but I live in Dehradun now, and today’s folk dances and songs reminded me of my childhood days with my parents. Hathi Nritya is one of my favourite dances and very few artistes can actually pull it well but in this event, it was completely authentic from the cultural aspect and also enjoyable. I am looking forward to another Jaunsar Mahotsav and next time I will come with my whole family.”
Paritosh Rawat, a resident of Dehradun, “Honestly I was not so keen to come here as I do not understand Jaunsari language but my wife who hails from Jaunsar brought me here. I am glad I came to the Janusar Mahotsav because the tradition and culture it displayed are really awesome. I might have not understood the language but I enjoyed all the performances specially Hathi Nritya and Harin Nritya. My kids also enjoyed the performance of Vicky Chauhan and the traditional Jaunsari food.”
The highlight of the event was performance by noted singer Vicky Chauhan. His foot tapping numbers got a number of the audience to dance while the singer himself also joined the audience in dancing at times. College student Mohit Chauhan said, “I am a big Vicky Chauhan fan and I skipped other important work with my friends to see his performance here. I have grown up in Himachal Pradesh and Chauhan is huge there. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance with my friends in addition to Harin Nritya and the food.”
Another member of the audience, Shyam Prajapati said, “I am from Uttar Pradesh and I had no idea about these cultural aspects. The experience was really enthralling for me and my sister. Apart from the folk dances, I liked the Jaunsari food which I felt is nutritious and tasty. It is different from our culture but equally remarkable.”