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Konark Dance & Music Festival, Feb 2011 : The Konark Dance and Music Festival has been organized every year since 1986. Guru Gangadhar Pradhan unexpectedly passed away on October 11, 2010 and so this year's festival was dedicated to him. The festival held at Konark, Orissa, from February 19 to 23 2011 was a grand success. Situated at Arka Vihar, Konark, Padmashree Awardee Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, was the founder & director of Konark Natya Mandap. This year the festival was handled by his able son, Sibashis and his team. This captivating festival attempts to display the best of traditional and classical dances of India and has been a pride and dream for various performing artists as the festival has been catering to discerning audiences at the lovely location near the Konark Sun Temple which is a famed World Heritage Site of India. The festival has brought lot of pride to Orissa and has put Konark on the World cultural map and is regarded as one of the leading festivals in India and supports as well as embraces art forms and artists from India and across the globe. Till date more than 7,000 performing artists had availed the opportunity to participate in this highly awaited annual international event in Orissa. The artistes and troupes include Padma Vibhusan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Carnatic vocalist M. Balamuralikrishna, Padma Bhusan (Prof) T.N. Krishnan, Guru Binod Bihari Panda, Nrityakalamandiram, Gopal C Mohapatra Troupe, Guru KalaKrishna and troupe, Rajendra Mohapatra Group, Nrutyalaya etc. Classical dance and music apart, the festival also features Chhow, Gotipua and Kalari Payattu dances besides Orissa’s traditional theatre. The leading exponents and dance enthusiasts of almost all main classical dance forms of India--including Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, and Chao--take part in the five-day classical dance carnival. Take a look at: http://konarkfestival.com/ and http://www.konarknatyamandap.org/ Pictures of the shoot by me of the Odissi dancers on Konark Beach can be seen at: http://www.photonicyatra.com/Features/Odissi-Dancers-on-Konark-Beach/16219788_xKDJQ/

Konark Dance & Music Festival, Feb 2011

The Konark Dance and Music Festival has been organized every year sinc ...

Updated: Feb 18, 2013 10:58pm PST

Odissi Dancers on Konark Beach, Orissa, Feb 2011 : Odissi dancers of the Konark Natya Mandap at the Konark Beach shot during the Konark Dance & Music Festival. The beach is quite close to the famous Konark Sun temple. These dancers have been mentored by the renowned Odissi dance teacher Guru Gangadhar Pradhan who unfortunately passed away last year. For more details on the festival and the organizers, take a look at: http://konarkfestival.com/ and http://www.konarknatyamandap.org/ Pictures of the Festival shot by me can be seen at: http://www.photonicyatra.com/Features/Konark-Dance-and-Music-Fest/16219470_tAb3/

Odissi Dancers on Konark Beach, Orissa, Feb 2011

Odissi dancers of the Konark Natya Mandap at the Konark Beach shot dur ...

Updated: Mar 16, 2011 8:59pm PST

Surajkund Crafts Mela, Haryana (Delhi), India, Feb 2011 : Surajkund - the pond of Sun God owes its name to an ancient amphitheatre sun pool, dating to the 10th century. Surajkund was built by King Suraj Pal, a follower of the Sun God. Surajkund comes alive with bright colours of Indian folk traditions and cultural heritage and International participation during the Surajkund Crafts Mela. The 25th Surajkund Mela has Andhra Pradesh as its Theme State this year and for the third time. The State represents India’s ethnic diversity and its rich cultural heritage. The Surajkund Mela set in an alluring, rustic and ethereal environment depicts the plurality of Indian arts, crafts and culture. Traditionally rich handlooms, handicrafts and some of the mouth watering cuisines of different states is experienced by visitors. The special enclosure made for the Theme State has artisans specializing in woodwork, jewellery, metal ware and other crafts. The Mela epitomizes the beauty of rural India within the gamut of suburban serenity and makes an ideal getaway for people. The magic of vibrant Andhra Pradesh comes through at this year's Mela. Every year for two weeks, a record number of visitors including thousands of foreign tourists come to this mega event! The idea behind the Mela is to recreate a pristine rural ambience for foreign & domestic tourists, to educate the patrons of arts and crafts on the skills involved in art creation, to introduce crafts and craftspersons directly to the buyers and to identify, nurture and preserve the languishing crafts of the country. The participants this year also included those from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Russia, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. Surajkund which is located near Faridabad in Haryana is just about 8 km and an hour's drive from New Delhi. All day, at the Chaupal & in the evenings at the Natyashala, various dance troupes performed to enthralled audiences. The Surajkund Mela is organized by Haryana Tourism. Visitors payed Rs. 50 as an entrance ticket for the day. The mela was first held in 1981 and the popular event is a showcase for traditional Indian arts and crafts as well as live entertainment. For details visit: http://haryanatourism.gov.in/surajkund/surajkundmela.asp

Surajkund Crafts Mela, Haryana (Delhi), India, Feb 2011

Surajkund - the pond of Sun God owes its name to an ancient amphitheat ...

Updated: Mar 23, 2011 12:31am PST

Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, Apr 2010 : Kumbh Mela, was held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. North India between January 14th to April 28th, 2010. The purna Kumbh Mela takes place once in twelve years and is one of the biggest religious gatherings on the planet which takes places on the banks of the river Ganga. The number of pilgrims this year is expected to exceed around five million since the first day Jan 14 till the time it concludes on April 28, 2010. The auspicious days of the shahi snan or royal baths usually draw hundreds of thousands of devotees to the Har Ki Paudi and other banks of the river. Uttarakhand. North India. The Kumbh Mela with its swirling crowds can be as physically daunting as it is spiritually fulfilling for those who believe in it . Thousands of pilgrims, mostly Hindus, flocked to Haridwar for the snan (holy dip). The Maha Kumbh Mela ('Great' Kumbh Mela) comes after a cyle of twelve 'Purna Kumbh Melas' which is after every 144 years and is held at Allahabad, UP. The 2001, Maha Kumbh Mela was attended by around 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.

Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, Apr 2010

Kumbh Mela, was held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. North India between Jan ...

Updated: Apr 24, 2010 4:45am PST

Konark Dance & Music Festival, Feb 2010 : The Konark Dance and Music Festival has been organized every year since 1986 and celebrated its silver jubilee this year with the festival held at Konark, Puri Dist., Orissa, from February 19th to 23rd, 2010. Padmashree Awardee Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, the founder & director of Konark Natya Mandap situated at Arka Vihar, Konark started this event with a humble beginning. This captivating festival attempts to display the best of traditional and classical dances of India and has been a pride and dream for various performing artists as the festival has been catering to discerning audiences at a the lovely location near the Konark Sun Temple which is a famed World Heritage Site of India. The festival has brought lot of pride to Orissa and has put Konark on the world cultural map and as this festival is regarded as one of the leading festivals in India and supports as well as embraces art forms and artists from India and across the globe. Till date more than 7,000 performing artists had availed the opportunity to participate in this highly awaited annual international event in Orissa. The artistes and troupe leaders include Carnatic vocalist M. Balamuralikrishna, Veena exponent Viswa Mohan Bhatt, Odissi music exponent Guru Ramahari Das, Odissi dancers Sujata Mohapatra, Ramli Ibrahim (Malayasia), Ileana Citaristi and Meera Das; Kuchipudi exponent Vyjayanti Kashi from Bengaluru, Sattriya exponent Anita Sharma from Guwahati, Mohini Attam dancer Mandakini Trivedi from Mumbai, Kathak exponent Pandit Arjun Mishra from Lucknow and Bharatnatyam dancer Divyasena from Chennai. The music segment also includes solo tabla, sitar and sehnai recitals. Classical dance and music apart, the festival also features Chhow, Gotipua and Kalari Payattu dances besides Orissa’s traditional theatre. The leading exponents and dance enthusiasts of almost all main classical dance forms of India--including Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, and Chao--take part in the five-day classical dance carnival. Take a look at: http://konarkfestival.com/ and http://www.konarknatyamandap.org/

Konark Dance & Music Festival, Feb 2010

The Konark Dance and Music Festival has been organized every year sinc ...

Updated: Feb 28, 2011 1:56am PST

"Reaching the Unreached" Book : "Reaching the Unreached" is a MSSRF (M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation) book by Suchit Nanda and Subbiah Arunachalam. More details can be found at: http://www.mssrf.org/ and http://www.mssrf-nva.org/ The book may also be downloaded as a PDF file from: http://www.suchit.net/books/Reaching-the-Unreached.pdf I'm happy to be able to post this book online and in PDF on 20th Jan'10 - the day of "Basant Panchami" (Devnagari:वसन्त पञ्चमी), which is a festival in which people pray to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words. And people start things to do with knowledge, wisdom and intellect.

"Reaching the Unreached" Book

"Reaching the Unreached" is a MSSRF (M. S. Swaminathan Research Founda ...

Updated: Jan 20, 2010 1:37am PST

"Transformative Impact of ICT" Book : "Transformative Impact of ICT - Change stories from rural India" is a MSSRF (M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation) book by Arundhathi, Suchit Nanda and Subbiah Arunachalam. More details can be found at: http://www.mssrf.org/ and http://www.mssrf-nva.org/ The book may also be downloaded as a PDF file from: http://www.suchit.net/books/Transformative-Impact-of-ICT.pdf I'm happy to be able to post this book online and in PDF on 20th Jan'10 - the day of "Basant Panchami" (Devnagari:वसन्त पञ्चमी), which is a festival in which people pray to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words. And people start things to do with knowledge, wisdom and intellect.

"Transformative Impact of ICT" Book

"Transformative Impact of ICT - Change stories from rural India" is a ...

Updated: Jan 20, 2010 1:43am PST

Suraj Kund Mela, Annual Fair, Haryana (Delhi) : The Surajkund Crafts Mela is an annual event that takes place in the first week of February at Surajkund which is located in Haryana. Surajkund is just an hour's drive from New Delhi and it comes alive for two weeks with the rhythm and beats of folk dances, lots of shopping opportunity and a riot of colors each year. Each year, there is a theme state and artists from that state and other states displayed their prowess in folk painting, batik & leather craft, wooden laquarware, clothing and variety of foods. The annual Surajkund festival is widely known to showcase the finest handlooms, handicrafts, authentic fragrances & flavours of rich Indian cuisines. Its large open space food court is a great place to try different foods and hang out with friends and family. As North India's winter turns briefly into spring, a caravan of 400 National and State awardee craftpersons from every corner of India wind their way to Surajkund. Craftpersons from SAARC Nations, Thailand, Egypt etc. also participate in the Surajkund Crafts Mela. At Surajkund Mela, the artisans demonstrate their skills as well as sell their creations crafted by their delicate hands into the most beautiful pieces of work. All day, at the Chaupal & later at Natyashala, various dance troupes perform to enthralled audiences. The Surajkund Mela is organized by Haryana Tourism and is held near Faridabad (outskirts of New Delhi). Visitors pay a small entrance fee like Rs. 50. First held in 1981, the event is a popular showcase for traditional Indian arts and crafts and includes a bustling food fair and plenty of live entertainment. For additional details visit: http://haryanatourism.gov.in/

Suraj Kund Mela, Annual Fair, Haryana (Delhi)

The Surajkund Crafts Mela is an annual event that takes place in the f ...

Updated: Feb 10, 2010 9:50am PST

Photo Exhibition - "Below the Poverty Line" @ DRIK, Dhaka 23rd-30th Sep, 2007 : Below the Poverty Line (BPL) by Suchit Nanda The headlines on 26th April 2007 newspapers in India screamed and declared "India a trillion dollar economy", but does this headline really matter to over 350 million Indians? Probably not as arguably, that many Indians can't read or write a word. For that matter, they probably don't really understand the meaning of the word economy or the number of digits in trillion! Visiting rural India in a place (GPS data included with images) about 300 kms from Nagpur in Maharashtra state and bordering with Madhya Pradesh State one comes face to face with this reality. On an ICT evaluation visit, I was amazed to learn that most of the villages I visited had 100% illiteracy. All of them fall under this virtual line that we have drawn called "The Below Poverty Line (BPL)". In other words living on an earning of under a dollar a day. The BPL Census in India is conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development at the beginning of each Five year Plan period. According to the survey and estimates, the number of people living below the poverty line (BPL) in the country continues to remain in the range of 22-23 crore, while in terms of net percentage of population it has decreased. This suggests that the series of poverty alleviation programmes undertaken by the Government between 1993-94 and 2004-05 have had only a minimal impact on the real economic situation of a larger section of the population, according to the findings of the National Sample Survey (NSS). A visit to any of the villages shows this is true. In August, 1995 The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed. It states that every state government shall within six months from the date of commencement of this Act, make a scheme for providing not less than one hundred days of guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in the rural areas scheme and whose adult members, by application, volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Ironically even to fill the form for this one needs to be literate. Even though thousands of crore rupees have been allocated and Governmental and NGOs have tried to help by offering assistance in this regards, the benefit does not seem to percolate down to all. Even this limited financial assistance has not reached everyone. On my visit to villages such as Banur, Pathakila, Pipalna and others I could see the levels of poverty and sufferings. Some of the villages I visited get cut off from the rest of the civilization for nearly 3 months each year due to the monsoon season. Healthcare is poor and even the basic amenities like clean water was an ordeal. Suchit Nanda's photography exhibition "Below the Poverty Line" was held from 25th to 30th September, 2007 at the Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Suchit is a majority world photographer and regularly contributes to http://www.majorityworld.com/ The exhibition was part of a series of activities carried out under UNESCO's Artist in Development Programme funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norwegian Embassy). See: http://majorityworld.com/features.php?sessioid=&features_id=17

Photo Exhibition - "Below the Poverty Line" @ DRIK, Dhaka 23rd-30th Sep, 2007

Below the Poverty Line (BPL) by Suchit Nanda The headlines on 26th ...

Updated: Nov 16, 2009 12:37pm PST

Rajasthan Day Celebrations : Rajasthan Day Celebrations (Rajasthan Diwas as it is called) celebrated in Jaipur, in March/April. With the aim of showcasing Rajasthan State's culture & heritage and reviving the traditional sports, cuisines and folk-art, Rajasthan Diwas Celebrations were held from 21st March to 30th March 2007. Craft-Bazaar, Food Festival, Night Bazaar, Sports competitions, spectacular fire-works, Mega Cultural Concerts, and competitions for school students were organized.

Rajasthan Day Celebrations

Rajasthan Day Celebrations (Rajasthan Diwas as it is called) celebrate ...

Updated: Jan 26, 2011 1:31pm PST


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