Lovers of art and culture are spoilt for choice with so many amazing things happening in Delhi at the moment. One event that should definitely be on everyone’s cultural calendar is Chandigarh-based Pracheen Kala Kendra 16th quarterly Baithak with its ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ series.
Deepankar Roy Choudhury.
“This is one of the most highly appreciated programs that everyone waits for. We are all set to organise Legends of Tomorrow on a big scale and welcome you all with warmth. Many eminent personalities will be performing for the attendees,” says Sajal Koser, Secretary of Pracheen Kala Kendra.
The event takes place on 14 May 2022 at 6:30 pm at Triveni Kala Sangam in Mandi House, Delhi. One will be able to enjoy a Guitar Recital by Deepankar Roy Choudhury accompanied by Ustad Rafiuddin Sabri on the Tabla, a Vocal Recital by Sankumay Debnath accompanied by Pradeep Chatterjee on the Tabla, a performance by Nafeez Ahmed on the Harmonium, a Kathak Dance by Dr Garima Arya accompanied by Ashish Mishra on the Tabla, a recital of Dr Shyam Rastogi on the Sitar, and Jay Dadhich on vocals and Harmonium.
Talking about the Kendra, Koser says, “In olden times, music, dance and fine art used to command a place of pride and prominence due to the classical and technical perfection and excellence that was associated with the performing and visual arts. People used to admire these art forms the world over. Indian classical music and dance had been developed by sages as a medium to display adulation for the gods and as a beautiful way of expression. In a way, these arts covered the entire gamut of emotions and feelings of human beings. We aim to preserve these art forms for generations to come.”
‘Legends of Tomorrow’ is finally back in its physical avatar, after its online iterations during the pandemic. The motto of Pracheen Kala Kendra is to spread the knowledge and love of art and culture and to support deserving artists. Hence, even during the pandemic, they organised many programs.
“When we started this series, one of our aims was to bring up young talent to the stage along with senior artists. Our main aim was to provide newbies with a stage to show their talent,” explains Koser.
Speaking about how people are returning to physical formats of events in large numbers, he says, “Art and culture events can’t be watched online. Through offline events, you can connect with the artist and it is easier for the audience to understand and enjoy the performance on stage.”
Applauding their experienced team for putting the event together in record time, Koser highlights that they have never faced any major difficulties in organising programmes. Next, they will be organising the Karnataka Utsav at Bengaluru from 4 to 5 June. “There is a chain of events that are coming up in various parts of the country. This is our legacy, as the Kendra has been doing lots of events since 1956,” he says.
Triveni Kala Sangam is one of their strongest supporters from whom they always receive a lot of help and appreciation. He signs off by highlighting, “Pracheen Kala Kendra in Chandigarh, is the premier educational organisation which is doing yeoman service for the promotion, preservation, and dissemination of the Indian classical arts of music, dance and fine art (painting) since its inception in 1956. Today, it is one of the oldest affiliating and examining bodies of India with its headquarters in Chandigarh, an enormous sister set-up in Mohali in Punjab and a zonal office for the Eastern region at Kolkata in West Bengal besides zonal/liaison offices at Ludhiana and Bhubaneswar in Odisha. It conducts examinations spanning over nine years and awards certificates and diplomas of Prarambhik, Bhushan, Visharad, Bhaskar and Churamani to the successful students. The Kendra has grown with each passing year. Today, it is the only cultural and educational organisation in the country dedicated to the promotion of art and culture. In the last 50 years, we have worked to provide quality education and job opportunities to lakhs of students, and given a platform to hundreds of performing artists by organising various cultural events in different parts of the country. We feel that Kendra’s efforts for the promotion and preservation of Indian classical arts and artists are unparalleled in the country.”
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.