Over a dozen artists, representing six classical dance forms of India, enthralled the audience at the inaugural event of the Festival of India here on Thursday.
Called ‘Nrityarupa’, the event was the reflection of a mosaic of the Indian dance forms — Bharatanatyam and Kathakali of the south; Kathak of the north; Odissi and Chhau of the east, and Manipuri dance form of the northeast. The Sangeet Natak Akademi and the National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama for the Festival of India produced the event, which will be held in Kandy on Saturday and Galle on Monday.
The theme of the Festival is sangam , symbolising the confluence of cultures of India and Sri Lanka. The logo has been pictorially depicted in three languages — Tamil, Hindi and Sinhala. This followed an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit here in March.
Events planned
The participation of Indian authors and a performance by singer Sonam Kalra and her team at the Galle Literary Festival in January 2016 are among events planned under the festival. Two exhibitions — ‘Digital India’ and ‘Cricket Connects’ — have been slated for February.
The former Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and India’s High Commissioner to Colombo Y.K. Sinha participated in the inaugural event.
