Culture Boom

There is just one time and place where one can see a 15-year-old Kathak dancer interact with a 70-year-old theater actor. This is the backdrop to which The National Harmony 2012 is being played out. Featured in the Limca Book of Records for the largest number of performances in 11 days,this is one of the biggest cultural festivals of India. The ten-day long cultural extravaganza began on May 21 and will continue till June 1 at the Tilak Samarak Mandir. Founded and organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrutik Sangh (ABSS),Pune the concept of a national-level festival originated in 2004,when Ratna Wagh and her husband were invited to be a part of a small cultural festival in Orrisa. “We went there and performed a play. On the way back we began to think if a small place in Orissa can organise and promote cultural activities,then why isn’t there something like this in Pune? Every one says that Pune is the centre of cultural activities,but there is no such platform here” says Wagh,Director,ABSS. Around 500 artistes performed for the fest’s first edition held in 2005. This year,around 8,000 artistes from all over the country took part in it. “There are going to be 1,800 programmes like Kathakali,Manipuri and there is also a Gurkha committee that will showcase their folk dances here. There will be 45 plays from every region of the country like Jammu and Kashmir,Andhra Pradesh,Kerala and many more,” says Wagh.