Cultural events cancelled in wake of COVID-19
"One of our biggest events, Yamuna Mahotsav proposed at Central Park in CP was postponed thrice for different reasons. The department had planned this in December but the idea has been dropped now. The festival was planned following the directions of a committee appointed by the NGT for spreading awareness on the Yamuna," said a senior government official.
With the continued uncertainty and concern around the COVID-19 virus outbreak in New Delhi, the government's health advisory has ordered to shelve various cultural events and festivals organised by the art, culture and language department in the national capital till March-end including events at India International Centre (IIC), Indian Habitat Centre (IHC), Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and among others.
Many events at IIC have been cancelled, including 'Musical Treasures', a concert by artists Tatiana Smantser from Russia (soprano); Larisa Rai from India (mezzo-soprano); and Paolo Devito from Italy (piano), in which the artists were to present a concert of duet and solo pieces by Tchaikovsky, Handel, Pergolesi, Glinka, Varlamov, Verstovsky, Bellini, Rachmaninoff and others; art exhibition 'Spot Stalk Spy Snoop: Delhi' at Annexe Art Gallery a covert mission of illustrations by Ankur Ahuja from Delhi, and films on wildlife and environment like Dil ki Basti Mein, directed by Anwar Jamal that captures a vibrant city caught between the past and the present, decay and renewal, hope and despair.
The third edition of Habitat International Film Festival (HIFF) 2020, which was to start from March 18, has been shifted to May 21 till May 31. The film festival showcases some of the critically acclaimed and award winning world cinema. Rang-e-Sukhan, a Kathak dance production has also been cancelled. The dance production highlights the mystical and romantic expressions of the ghazal through Kathak with performances based on Persian and classical Urdu.
The music festival, Dilli Durbar by Dilli Gharana, which was
scheduled for February in Sunder Nursery has also been postponed. This year's festival will feature the most scintillating line up of music maestros on one platform in Delhi.
Apart from musical performances, the event would also organise several arts events, workshops and poetry symposiums to promote the cultural heritage of the city.
Yamuna Mahotsav, which is organised by IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India has been cancelled recently. The festival is known for highlighting the history and pollution of the Yamuna.
