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Journalism of Courage
IT was a magical and melodious opening to the 9th Chandigarh Art and Heritage Festival with Padma Shri awardee Malini Awasthi taking centre-stage to present the flavour of folk at the Tagore Theatre on Friday evening. Organised by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Awasthi, a core member of UNESCO, is the student of legendary Hindustani classical singer Girija Devi of the Banaras Gharana.
The singer aims to bring back the fragrance of folk music back to people. Born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh, the singer is not only known for her Bhojpuri music but also excels in Awadhi, Bundelkhandi, Thumri and Kajri. On Friday, the singer presented a rich repertoire of folk songs, rare ritual songs of Lucknow region, Sufiana kalaams, Thumri compositions and also some of her hit songs from films.
“These folk songs present lives of the people in villages and cities. The songs include a flavour and taste of the regional India and these are extraordinary yet forgotten wonders,” said the artiste, sharing some special memories of her career and performances. With many references to women in folk music, Awasthi said, “A girl is not always Laxmi, she is also Durga, the source of origin and strength and she also is Saraswati, with an abundance of knowledge and talent.”
Documentaries
The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi also invited lovers of art and culture to be a part of a unique creative endeavour, curated and designed for the 9th Chandigarh Art and Heritage Festival. On the first day of the festival on Friday, the akademi invited city residents to view ‘Forts of India: The Resplendent Heritage’, short documentaries by film and theatre personality G S Chani at the auditorium of the Government Museum and Art Gallery.
As a part of the programme, three documentaries on the Bundi Fort, Jaisalmer Fort and Janzira Fort were screened. Produced and directed by Chani and Gyandev Singh, Forts of India is a 26-part documentary series. The present series is inspired by the idea that forts are not a subject of specialist interest – of significance to students of military history or architecture. The screenings were followed by a talk on the Heritage and Forts of India by Dr Pushpesh Pant.
