Virasat is an Indian cultural festival that celebrates all aspects of the country's

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

. It is held at

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and recognised as the afro-asia biggest folk life and heritage festival. Organized by REACH (Rural Entrepreneurship for Art & Cultural Heritage), this week-long festival includes performances and workshops in Indian folk and classical arts,

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, crafts,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

. Classical music and dance maestros and master craftsmen are invited to perform at the festival with the objective of fostering interaction between students, artists and craftsmen during the first half of the academic year. The name Virasat can be translated from

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

as "heritage".

History

Virasat 1995

The festival was first held in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

in 1995. Virasat 2008 expanded the festival into a nationwide event. It took place on 2 September 2008, with concerts and events in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

and 300 other localities, lasting until December. Artists such as Pt.

Birju Maharaj Pandit Birju Maharaj (born Brijmohan Nath Mishra; 4 February 1938 – 16 January 2022) was an Indian dancer, composer, singer, child molester and exponent of the Lucknow "Kalka-Bindadin" Gharana of Kathak dance in India. He was a descendant o ...

, Pt.

Shivkumar Sharma Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for Indian classical music. As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Ha ...

, T.N. Seshagopalan,

Alarmel Valli Alarmel Valli is a leading Indian classical dancer and choreographer and the foremost exponent of the Pandanallur style in the Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam. She is widely acclaimed for her ability to turn traditional grammar in ...

, Pt.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, professionally known as V. M. Bhatt (born 27 July 1950), is an Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who plays the Mohan veena (slide guitar). Personal life Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, with his wife and ...

Shovana Narayan Shovana Narayan is a recognised Indian Kathak dancer and a career officer with Indian Audit and Accounts Service. She performs in India and internationally, and has been awarded the Padma Shri. She trained under Birju Maharaj. Early life and ...

, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Misra,

Teejan Bai Teejan Bai (born 8 August 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments. She has been awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma ...

also participated in the series of concerts.

Virasat 2017

Today, the festival is held in Dehradun, and a theatre program has been added. In 2017, it was held from 28 April to 12 May.The festival, which is celebrating its 22nd edition this year, was inaugurated by Uttarakhand governor KK Paul. The 15-day long fest which will go on till 12 May will see performances by over 500 artists from across the country including

Dona Ganguly Dona Ganguly ( Roy) is an Indian Odissi dancer. She took her dancing lessons from guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She has a dance troupe ''Diksha Manjari''. In 1997 she eloped with and married her childhood friend and later Indian cricketer and ski ...

, Shujat Khan, Wadali Bandhu,

Warsi Brothers Warsi Brothers are an Indian Qawwali musical group, consisting of brothers Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi and Naseer Ahmed Khan Warsi (the Qawwāls), along with eight accompanists (the ''humnawa'' or party). They are based in Hyderabad. Family of qaw ...

, Peenaz Masani etc. The inaugural event of the festival was a folk dance from the Jaunsar Bawar region of Uttarakhand performed by the Magh Mela Sanskritik Lok Kala Manch from Chakrata. This was followed by classical singing in Khayal style by the Banaras Gharana exponents, renowned singers, Pt. Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra. Incidentally, the festival is a highlight of the winter months in Dehradun, but it was rescheduled following the demonetisation declaration in November.

References

External links

Official site
Reach Virasat {{Hindustani Classical Music page end Music festivals established in 1995 Hindustani classical music festivals 1995 establishments in Uttar Pradesh Cultural heritage of India Dehradun Festivals in Uttarakhand