Urusvati welcomes ‘Basant’ with a dance and music concert
By Bipin Sharma
Urusvati Art and Habitat Centre based out of Village Shikhopur in Gurgaon recently hosted an enchanting cultural dance and music concert themed “Basant Ras” to hail the onset of spring festival. With the majestic Aravali Hills and the sprawling Jasmine gardens in the backdrop, Urusvati was unarguably the perfect venue for organizing a cultural concert of this sort in this part of the city.
The cultural event sponsored by Sangeet Natak Academy saw an impressive gathering of dance and music enthusiasts from all over. The program commenced with a scintillating Manipuri Dance of Vasanta Ras. The dance performance showcased the Spring season when there is dance on full moonlit night of Chaitra, and Krishna alluring Radha by playing his mellifluous flute. The audience loved the part when the artists brilliantly enacted the part where the Gopis led by Radha respond to Krishna’s overtures ensued by the scene of union and Milan. Manipuri dance, also known as ‘Jagoi’ is one of the most significant and popular Indian classical dance forms. It is particularly known for its Hindu Vaishnavism themes, and exquisite performances of love-inspired dance drama of Radha-Krishna called Raslila. The Manipuri dance is all about team work, with its distinctive costumes, aesthetics and repertoire.
After the Manipuri dance, the seasoned Hindustani classical vocalist Kankana Banerjee enthralled the audience with ‘Songs of Vasant’ and some amazing classical Hindustani music.
The Chief Guest for the ‘Basant Ras’ Event was eminent educationist and media personality Dayanand Vats who took time out of his hectic schedule to be a part of the cultural concert. While chatting with the media, Vats said, “Over the years, Urusvati Art and Habitat Centre has managed to carve a distinct niche for itself thanks to the cultural events and programs that they keep organizing in this amazing destination from time to time. Besides the picturesque location, the venue has various amenities to its advantage under one roof. It’s a paradise for the creative fraternity and the intelligentsia that is always on the lookout for tranquil places for being a part of such highly creative events. For children, Urusvati offers myriads of activities such as puppet shows, camel rides, folk dances to snake charmers. Viewing the Museum is a good learning experience for children as it gives deep insights about the folk tales from Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.”
Komal Anand, director Urusvati Art and Habitat Centre (UAHC) shared, “Urusvati is slated to become one of the most sought after destinations in Gurgaon in the near future for hosting socio cultural events and extravaganzas. The endeavour at Urusvati is to host a wide spectrum of cultural activities, workshops and festivals for the art enthusiasts with the sole objective that the prestigious, invaluable heritage of the country is not just restored, but also enhanced further, by such initiatives, collections and presentations. Costumes, jewelry, utensils, musical instruments, puppets and paintings from the tribal to the highly sophisticated, miniatures, depicting scenes from the folk tales, all show how Folklore has incessantly inspired artisans, artists and even musicians and dancers.”
Lauding the efforts of Team Urusvati and the artists, Shahnaz Husain, the Pioneer of Ayurveda remarked, “It is heartening to see Urusvati Art and Habitat centre buzzing with all sorts of vibrant cultural activities. The Urusvati is a superb platform for budding artists, musicians and dancers from all over the country to exhibit their talent before a bigger audience. The Urusvati Museum of Folklore has been conceptualized to showcase the rich tapestry of India’s heritage and folklore. The high quality of aesthetics, beauty, stylization, symbolism and the sheer simplicity in design of objects of daily use in rural India on display of each region in the Museum is bound to leave the visitors spellbound.”
The distinguished guests were all praise as they went around on a brief round of the imperially designed Urusvati Art Gallery and the Urusvati Museum of Ancient Folklore. The experience was truly enriching for the guests as they were educated on the various cultural dimensions, customs and traditions of different states of India. The visitors and the music lovers had a gala time as they were treated to some scrumptious evening snacks and delicacies along with tea and coffee during the course of the cultural event.
