SHILLONG: Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam were among 15 states from the country, which showcased their talent at the 10th All India Drama and Dance Festival held at Agra. The event was organized by the Taj-city based Sanskar Bharati Natya Kendra. The artists from the three regional states who participated in the five-day festival also competed in a dance and drama competition besides other cultural events.
The uniqueness of this festival is that the 15 participating states on the final day in Agra, known worldwide for its marble wonder – Taj Mahal, rolled out a colorful street procession depicting their classical and folk dances. The atmosphere was one of awe as people in large numbers came out of their dwellings to witness the multi-colored jamboree and tourists from the country and abroad could not hold themselves from capturing the cultural milieu. “It was India’s ‘unity in diversity’ that is on display,” said a tourist from Scotland, who recorded the folk renditions in his camera.
The united performances by these artists emphasized one note and that is as a country India is one with its traditional and cultural heritage despite its diversities. The scene of national integration is another facet that cannot be overlooked in such cross-cultural congregations. With Meghalaya and Assam, Manipur’s – performance and presence was overtly witnessed by the people and tourists at large since this northeastern state participated with ten troupes.
Despite Manipur’s civil unrest, the state has maintained a clean streak, be it in the sporting or cultural arena and that was evidently clear in this festival when their performances and zeal to learn the national language was well appreciated by the audience.
Few of its troupe’s performances in Hindi got huge round of applause from one and all as the city’s streets were swept away by the cultural contingent of Manipur. The desire of the people of Manipur to learn the national language since Manipuris are the largest dispaora from this region who go to mainland India for job and higher studies and their performances in the national language was well received besides the other two states from the region.