Performing arts festival to promote Swacchh Bharat Abhiyan

Noted Odissi dancer Sonal Mansingh has pegged the upcoming edition of her biannual performing arts festival 'Jivan Pani Memorial' on the theme of the Swachh Bharat campaign.
"Classical arts has the ability to lift one out of morass of daily life and maintain a high level of mind and thought," said Mansingh today while announcing the 12th edition of the Jivan Pani Memorial Festival that begins here tomorrow.
Mansingh, is among the "Navratans" nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Swacchh Bharat (Clean India) campaign.
Mansingh said, the festival will showcase the importance of keeping one's mind, body and environment clean besides upholding the relationship between a teacher and his disciple.

"The festival will talk about purity of the centuries old 'guru-shishya parampara' and about the cleanliness in the environment, in the heart, the soul, thoughts, speech and behaviour," she said while endorsing the role of art and artist in the process.
"If an art form does not reflect the existing milieu, it stagnates," the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee said.

The two-day festival at the India Habitat Centre, will witness dance renditions by Sanjib Bhattacharya, Dipjyoti Das and Quincy Kendell Charles, in "rarely seen Manipuri, Sattriya and Kathak," on the first day and an instrumental jugalbandi on sitar and cello by Pandit Shubhendra Rao and his wife Saskia Rao-de Haas on day two.

Reiterating Mansingh's words, Shubhendra Rao said cleanliness that is being aspired for through the festival is not merely physical but also ethereal.
"Classical music cleanses the soul and purifies it from within with its meditative aspect. The old traditions and ragas have a cleansing quality," Rao said.
A musical performance by a group of 10 underprivileged children from Rao's music foundation will open the maestro's show on the second day of the festival.
"Songs based on the theme of Swachh Bharat have been exclusively written for these children," he added.
As for the campaign, Mansingh said,"the festival is just the beginning," and spoke of her intention to penetrate into the deepest pockets of Delhi to spread the message.