Andaman celebrates Phaag music festival

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has organised a festival to celebrate the traditional Phaag music. Artists from the archipelago enthralled the audience with folk music that narrates tales from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna Leela.

“Andaman and Nicobar Islands is like mini-India where you can find diverse cultures and traditions. The administration aims to protect and promote all such traditions and provide a platform to grow,” Director Tourism, Vinayak Chamadia, said at the event held on Saturday evening.

“It is also aimed towards recognising the original Phaag traditions and songs of the islands that date back to pre-independence times,” he said.

A large number of local people and tourists experienced the vibrant folk musical tradition.

“Our aim is to revive and preserve a rare folk tradition that is now gradually fading, while offering both residents and tourists an authentic glimpse into the islands’ living cultural legacy,” said Rohit Mohan Lal, general secretary of co-organiser Kalapani Phaag Mandali.

Phaag is a traditional form of folk songs brought to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands prior to the year 1900 and is closely associated with the festive period from Vasant Panchami to Holi, he said.

“The festival reflects the rich social and cultural fabric of the islands and has been an integral part of community celebrations in the past,” Lal said.

He also thanked 80-year-old Ratan Bihari Lal, a veteran Phaag singer, who has been training youngsters on this form of traditional music for many years.