After 2 years, Elephanta to come alive with music, dance

After being cancelled for two consecutive years because of terror scares, the Elephanta festival will be held again. HT reports.

After being cancelled for two consecutive years because of terror scares, the Elephanta festival will be held again.

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The festival, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday, will complete 21 years.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has organised this festival every year since 1989 to promote Indian dance and music.

“The festival was not held in 2008 because of the 26/11 attacks and in 2009 we had to cancel the festival again as the German bakery blasts took place at Pune only a week before the scheduled date. But this time we are organising it and expect it to be a success," said Avinash Dhakne, joint managing director, MTDC.

The festival will feature different classical dance and folk music performances. Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan winners, Dr Raja and Radha Reddy will perform Kuchipudi at the opening performance on Saturday. Following them will be Pandit Shivkumar Sharma who will play the Santoor- folk Kashmiri instrument.

The festival is a blend of prakruti (nature), shakti (power) and bhakti (worship) with music and dance. The government declared 2011 as the Maharashtra tourism year and the festival could mark the beginning of similar events.

Elephanta islands are located 18.5 km away from the Gateway of India at Churchgate. As the programmes will be held late in the evening, special ferry services will be organised for those visiting the festival.