Muscovites witnesses diversity and cultural heritage at Festival of India

Muscovites witnessed vignettes of India's diverse and vibrant cultural heritage with the 'Festival of India' opening to a large and enthusiastic audience at the Kremlin Palace here.

The six-month-long festival, inaugurated on Thursday, will encompass 22 cities, including St Petersburg, across Russia and showcase Indian culture with performances, the Indian embassy here said in a press statement.

The inaugural show, which received a standing ovation from the audience, included classical Indian dance performances of Bharatnatyam and Kathak along with Russian folk dance Berezka, it said.

The Bharatnatyam troupe was led by distinguished artist Jayalakshmi Eshwar, while the Kathak group was led by acclaimed dance exponents Maulik Shah and Ishira Parekh.

The event was inaugurated by Gangadharan Balasubramanian, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian embassy.