Folk music and dance at World Book Fair

A festival of folk music, dance and drama here is complementing the World Book Fair whose theme this year focuses on indigenous voices mapping the country's folk and tribal literature. The programme titled "Desraj: An invitation to the indigenous performing arts of India" presents some 30 different folk and tribal groups from across the country speaking about life experience of disparate communities through indigenous dance, drama and music. On the second day of festival, which opened on February 4 artists from Kerala, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand performed in Lal Chowk open air theatre of Pragati Maidan here. Artists from Delhi Panchavadya trust performed Naada Samanwayam, a folk presentation from Kerala. It was followed by ritual enactment of the legend of the creation of the world, Lai Haraoba a folk dance by Huyen Lallong Manipur Thang-Ta Cultural Association Manipur. "Literature has beginnings from the oral tradition and performing traditions, so we thought that it is a great opportunity to showcase the world indigenous performing arts of India through the World Book Fair stage," said Sajita Madithil, Deputy Secretary Folk and Tribal Performing Arts of India, Sangeet Natak Akademy which is organising the event. Towards the end of the second day artists from Uttrakhand and Jharkhand performed Lok geet and folk dance. Rajasthan's Mand group famed for its style of singing, the Bihu dance from Assam, Ragini folk songs from Haryana, a Bhand Pather performance from J-K as well as performances by groups from Bihar, Lakswadeep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Tripura, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Nagaland, Chattisgarh and Gujarat are scheduled to perform at the Fair, which will end on February 10.