Mayur Utsav: Bridging the cultural gap
The two-day long cultural festival was held on November 24 and 25, at different locations in Mayur Vihar, New Delhi
The second edition of Mayur Utsav 2019 was yet another successful cultural event organised under the umbrella of Sahitya Kala Parishad. The two-day long festival, which was held on November 24 and 25, at different locations in Mayur Vihar, aimed to create a cultural space that will help in reviving the lost sensitivity towards the culture and heritage of India.
On first day of the event, the audience experienced a brilliant performance by none other than the Bollywood's famous playback singer Mohit Chauhan. The former member of Indipop band Silk Route and renowned singer across Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood movies performed on his various peppy numbers and the audience were seen swaying to the rhythms of his songs. This was followed by a puppet show by Puran Bhatt from Rajasthan. A Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2003 winner, along with his team showcased some mesmerising act with their large puppet. The puppets performed on various Bollywood songs and entertained the audience by interacting them. The evening was woven into a traditional web with Gajendra Rana and his team's performance. They presented the live folk song and dance from Uttrakhand. The dance is a procession of their deity Nanda Devi.
"I congratulate and welcome everyone to Mayur Festival second edition. Last year, we got Kailash Kher for you all and looking at the response we have Mohit Chauhan for the audience this time. Since this is the second edition only, in few years people will wait for Mayur Festival and the performers who will be performing at this platform," said Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
"All of the residents from Mayur Vihar will invite their relatives for this festival.. I am very happy that more than 1500 people are here to see performance it shows the interest of you all in Art & Culture," he added.
The second day of the event was organised at the Durga Pooja Park, Near Suprime Enclave, Mayur Vihar Phase-1. The show started with some grand musical moments. Shilpa Rao, one of the famous Indian singers who rose to popularity with the release of 'Khuda Jaane' from Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008 mesmerized the audience with her live performance. Her popular songs from movies Bang Bang, Dhoom 3 and others kept the audience asking for more. Trained in classical music, Shilpa Rao shared her experience performing live at Mayur Utsav, "While performing live one needs to be connected to the audience. At Mayur Utsav, the audience reciprocates so well, I was so connected to the audience that I could feel their energy and love. And that was also reflected in my performances. It will be one of the memorable performances for me."
Talking further about her visit to Delhi, Shilpa continued, "I keep coming to Delhi for performing at various festivals and ghazals. It is always a look-forward moment for me to visit Delhi. I always make sure to have the famous Delhi food in Purani Delhi or sometimes I visit Khan Market with my friends. I love to visit Nizamuddin Dargah to listen to the very talented Qawals performing."
The evening continued with more musical performances. Audiences were appeased by a Shenai recital and folk dance performance. Puran Bhatt and his team wrapped up the evening with their exciting larger than life puppets performing on famous Bollywood numbers.
On the concluding day, Manish Sisodia, said, "This event is one of the small yet successful steps towards bridging the cultural gap prevailing in the society. Seeing the enthusiasm and love shown by the East Delhi audience we are motivated to organise many more editions of Mayur Utsav and similar events for Delhi audience. I thank all the artists and the audience for making Mayur Utsav 2019 a grand success."
