4th edition of 'Nadi Utsav' focusses on India's riverine cultural heritage

Panel discussions with environmentalists, film screenings, presentations by eminent artists, puppet shows and exhibitions are among the many activities planned for the fourth edition of the 'Nadi Utsav' which started here on Friday on the banks of the Yamuna river.

The three-day event will host discussions on a number of topics, including rivers in ancient texts, cultural heritage along the rivers and rivers in folk and cultural traditions.

Organised by National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the Janapada Sampada Division, the initiative was conceived to create awareness and sensitise people about their ecology and environment.

As many as 18 films, out of which six have been produced by the IGNCA, will be screened during the event. Traditional puppeteer and contemporary theatre artist Puran Bhat will perform a puppet show, 'The Yamuna Gatha', on the occasion, informed the organisers.

'''Nadi Utsav' is an attempt to document riverine culture, its tradition, rituals and water wisdom. In the race of modernity, we have forgotten to thank our rivers and this is an opportunity to do so now. This event is an initiative to remember the connection with rivers. A book fair will also be organized during the three-day event, in which various publishing houses will bring their books related to rivers and environment,'' said Abhay Mishra, assistant director of NMCM at IGNCA, in a statement.

A total of three types of exhibitions, including 'Sanjhi' exhibition, based on 16 ghats of the country; a photography exhibition related to river civilisation; and an exhibition of paintings made on rivers by school children of Delhi reflecting what they think about rivers is also among the attractions of the event.

The three-day event will also see cultural programs, including singing by folk singer Chandan Tiwari from Bihar and Bharatanatyam performance by Shweta Devendra and her team from Bhopal.

IGNCA, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, has been organising 'Nadi Utsav' for the last few years.

It commenced in 2018, with its inaugural event on the banks of the Godavari River in Nashik. The second edition took place on the banks of the Krishna River in Vijayawada, and the third on the banks of the Ganga River in Munger.

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