Patna: Classical music, kathak, devotional singing and poetry came together at Bapu Tower in Gardanibagh on Thursday as the Patna Literary Festival (PLF) presented Dharohar-Bhavanjali, an initiative to bring traditional Indian art forms back into Patna’s Durga Puja celebrations.The event offered an opportunity to experience India’s classical and devotional traditions. More than 15 artists from across the country performed at the programme, attracting art and culture enthusiasts.CM Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the programme as the chief guest.The performers featured kathak dancer Sanjukta Sinha from Ahmedabad, classical vocalist Vidushi Saniya Patankar from Pune and shehnai player Zakir Hussain from Varanasi. Shweta Singh Uma presented devotional music and poetry, while vocalist Shashank Shekhar performed bhajans and ghazals.Bharti Ojha anchored the programme, accompanied by musicians Siddheshwar Bhowmick on harmonium, Sudip Chatterjee and Shyam Mohan on tabla, Manjeet on guitar, Abhishek Pathak on harmonium and Mohammad Salim on flute.“Dharohar is an effort to preserve and promote our cultural traditions while giving people an opportunity to experience the richness of Indian classical music, dance and devotional art,” said Khurshid Ahmad, founder and secretary of PLF.Ahmad said Dharohar was part of the festival’s broader effort to reconnect the city with its cultural roots and create space for classical music, dance and traditional performing arts.
