Culture festival 'Arth' goes virtual

'Arth', a multi-regional festival known for celebrating the true essence of ''indic thought and philosophy'', will be held virtually this year, the organizers of the event announced on Tuesday.

The two-day festival, now in its third edition, will be held in Kolkata this Saturday and Sunday, and in New Delhi on March 19-20.

''The essence of 'Arth' is to inspire people to rediscover the diversity and richness of Indian art and culture with carefully-curated discussions.

''We received a phenomenal response for the previous editions of 'Arth' and we are excited to present the third edition of the culture fest in a digital format, which the audiences can witness from the safety and comfort of their homes,'' Shreyasi Goenka, founder, and director of the festival said.

Some of the prominent names taking part in the festival's Kolkata edition include West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union minister Smriti Irani, BJP MPs Subramanian Swamy, and Swapan Dasgupta, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, lyricist Irshad Kamil and singer Ila Arun.

According to the organizer, the speakers attending the Kolkata edition of the festival will share their experiences and perspective on varied topics like the Assembly election, 125 years of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, a tribute to legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee and the city's unparalleled love for sports, among others.

The list of speakers for the Delhi edition will be out soon, they added.

''With 'Arth' in its third edition, even as we are striving to retain the essence of this festival by bringing to our audience the best that our heritage has to offer as always, we are also trying to help society look beyond the pandemic and give people the confidence to reboot cultural activities,'' said Vikram Sampath, historian, and director of the festival.