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Weaving a continuity of expressions

Pratha Parv - a festival of folk, tribal and traditional cultural expressions of India is being presented by Sangeet Natak Akademi, a national academy of music, dance and drama and an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

In a country as vast and layered with history, antiquity and diversity, it is the realm of performing arts in which a deep connection of various genres of art or skill can be seen weaving a continuity of expressions. 

Traditional cultural expressions also called ‘expressions of folklore’ may include music, dance, art, designs, names, signs and symbols, performances, ceremonies, architectural forms, handicrafts and narratives, or many other artistic or cultural expressions including the folk and tribal art. These, which essentially form parts of the identity and heritage of a traditional or indigenous community, are passed down from generation to generation, and are integral to the cultural and social identities of indigenous and local communities. They transmit core values and beliefs. And primarily, these notions are constantly developing and being recreated within the community ie the practitioners and connoisseurs and passed on to new generations as future protectors of the shared legacy.

The festival comprises presentations of diverse forms of performing arts, film screenings sourced from the meticulously cultivated archives of the Akademi exhibition and dissemination of various musical instruments, folk and traditional, from different states of the country (primarily North-East, Odisha, Kerala and Uttarakhand). The programme also includes interactive session with artists who will share their traditional methodologies and other related aspects that may bring forth the tangible and intangible aspects to incorporate verbal expressions or symbols (stories, epics, legends, tales, riddles), musical expressions (songs, instrumental music), expressions by action (dance form, play, ritual), tangible expressions (drawings, designs, paintings, body art, carvings, woodwork, metal work, jewellery, glassware, textiles, costumes) and  intangible expressions reflecting traditional forms of thought and architectural forms. 

The festival is an opportunity to bringing into limelight and assimilating a variety of cultural aspects of the country, as defined as North, South, East, and West and the resplendent North-East. Each day of the festival is based on this cultural classification, which aims to enhance and safeguard the inherent plurality of the cultural identity that this country so strongly identifies with.
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