Uttar Pradesh to regale G20 guests with its cultural heritage

A number of cultural programmes of classical and folk music and state’s dance forms will be organised in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi and Kanpur to welcome these guests

Preparations are in progress to organise G20 summit meetings and introduce Uttar Pradesh’s rich folk culture and heritage to the foreign delegates through various cultural events.

The cultural events include many performances of state dance forms and folk music among others. (For Representation)

A number of cultural programmes of classical and folk music and state’s dance forms will be organised in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi and Kanpur to welcome these guests. Noted artistes like Padma Shri Malini Awasthi, Alka Thakur, Sanjay Sharma and Gitanjali Sharma will present these cultural programmes.

The cultural events will be organised during the first two days of the foreign guests’ stay in Agra, in which Lucknow-based artiste Alka Thakur will welcome the guests by playing a ‘jugalbandi’ of sarangi and flute.

On the second day, Mathura’s Sanjay Sharma will perform Braj’s traditional Mayur dance while Gitanjali Sharma will present Kathak based on Radha Madhav and Vandana Shri will perform folk dance and Krishna Radha Raas.

On the first day of the three-day stay of the foreign guests, a live jugalbandi of flute, tabla, and santoor will be presented by Bhatkhande Cultural University. On the second day, Vinay Krishna Goswami will present Krishna Raas Leela of Mathura while Namami Ramam will be presented by Kathak Kendra, Lucknow.

On the third day, Lalitpur’s Mohini will present a traditional folk dance and Lucknow’s Manoj Kumar Mishra will showcase Taal Vadya while Mumbai’s Neeraj Arya will present a live concert of Kabir Band. On the same day, Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy (UPSNA) will present a Kathak performance on Jashn-e-Banaras. Anuj Mishra from Lucknow will present a Kathak performance on Sita Swayamvar in Varanasi.

During the three-day G20 programmes in Lucknow, Padma Shri Malini Awasthi will present a programme of U.P.’s folk music while a semi-classical dance would be presented by artistes of Kathak Kendra. Dandiya dance performance by Anand Kishore Awadh of Prayagraj will be another attraction for foreign guests in Lucknow. To recall, India is leading the G-20 countries this year. (from December 2022 to November 2023).