International students steal the show at ICCR’s diamond jubilee celebration in Lucknow

The 75th anniversary celebration of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations was a memorable affair, with 300 artistes from 50 different countries

The 75th anniversary celebration of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was a memorable affair, with 300 artistes from 50 different countries spreading a myriad of cultural colors on the stage of AP Sen Hall at the University of Lucknow.

Students from different countries attending the event (MushtaqAli/HT)

The event's highlight was a diamond jubilee song penned by Prof RP Singh. It was presented by Bangladeshi singer Arnab Saha, followed by a Kathak performance by Aditi Thapliyal.

“It’s ICCR’s diamond jubilee year and I wanted to make the day special for all. The best way I could think of was to pen down a song as an ode to the organisation, which brings different nations together on the same platform,” said Prof Singh.

A fusion medley dance presentation by Sudhi H Gatik Bharuka from Sri Lanka, Piu Roy from Bangladesh, and Nandani Jumak of Mauritius was a perfect example of bringing multi-cultural folk art together.

Artistes from Afghanistan, Masih Elham and group, along with vocalist Shivani Maya, accompanied by Vinod Kumar on the keyboard, Yogesh Pandey on drums and Kuldeep Saini on octopad set the tone for the evening with some of the best musical melodies.

“Established in 1950, ICCR during the last seven decades, as an institution has been promoting the cultural heritage of our country. It has attained new dimensions with the overall mandate of promoting our culture and fostering cultural ties with the world,” said Arvind Kumar, director of ICCR, Lucknow.

The chief guest for the evening was the Lucknow University Vice Chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai.

Performances by the students at the event

Nandini Joomuck and Mohd Dicko presenting Sega dance from Mauritius

Aditi Thapliyal presenting kathak