Virasat, Art and Heritage Festival, organised by the Rural Entrepreneurship for Art and Cultural Heritage (REACH), will start from November 29 and will continue till December 13.
The festival —21st chapter for the city this year — is expected to draw artists, numbering around 700, from across the country. A mélange of cultural and other activities are lined up for the fair which is expected to be visited by thousands of people from across the State.
This year, ‘Bhairavas’, a Dehradun-based group of musicians, will present their unique folk compositions. Sitar and Sarod Jugalbandi by lakshya Mohan and Ayush Mohan Gupta, both disciples of the legendary late Pt Ravi Shankar, are all set to regale the audience. Besides, folk performances like Ghoomar from Haryana, Terah Tali from Rajasthan and Bihu from Assam would be presented in the fair to lend it a pan-Indian flavour. Folk dancers from Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Goa are coming too to enthrall those visiting the fair. Gazals by Chandan Das would be another attraction.
The organisers said that a four -day craft workshop involving tie and dye, kite- making , paper flower making , handloom weaving , pottery and gem cutting with master craftsmen leading and participating would be held during the fair. Mahendra Chauhan and his group from Jaunsar Bawar of Uttarakhand will present folk dances while Gurkha folk dancers would present the beauty of their traditional dances to commemorate two hundred years of the Gurkha arrival in India. This aside, students of schools will present classical music and dance. Folk dances and music by Garh Sanskritik Samaj, Sudhar Sansth and Chinyalisaur would add colour to the fair, the organisers added
lokesh Ohri, joint secretary, REACH, said during a Press conference in Dehradun on Saturday that Virasat, a comprehensive platform, aims at promoting excellence involved in the timeless art and cultural items adorning different parts of the country. “Many artists from Dehradun are participating in Virasat. The number of participating artists and artisans from across the country would be around 700. We are confident that the fair would prove a success like the previous years,” he added.