Presenting a potpourri of folk music and storytelling in the Millennium City, a host of artists will take centre stage at Aravalli Biodiversity Park for three days, starting April 13.
Performances by singers Prahlad Singh Tipanya and Nooran Sisters; and Urdu storytelling by dastango Mahmood Farooqui — witness the magic of folk unfold at the 7th Gurgaon Utsav in the heart of the Millennium City, at Aravalli Biodiversity Park, from April 13 to 15.
“We’ve always wanted to bring cultural activities like theatre, music and dance to Gurgaon. For the past six years, it has become a people’s initiative as the Utsav has been well received. We ensure that the line-up each year is exciting and new. This year, the focus will be on folk music,” says Uma Prakash, organiser and co-founder, Arts and Literature Foundation.
The event is organised by Arts and Literature Foundation and Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), and in collaboration with the Department of Art and Cultural Affairs, Government of Haryana.
Writer and dastango Mahmood Farooqui will take folk enthusiasts through the life of Karna and his heroism through Dastangoi Dastan-e Karn Az Mahabharat on April 13. The performance sees Farooqui reciting in Urdu, Sanskrit and Arabic. “I am very excited to be performing in Gurgaon after many years. Throughout my childhood, I’ve been fascinated with Karna. I’m seeing him through the eyes of somebody who is marginalised. Storytelling is in-built in Mahabharat. It emerged from being told as a story [first], [and was] written down much later. The drama in it is even stronger then the Ramayan; as every character is grey,” says Farooqui.
Then, an amalgamation of instruments such as tambura, manjira, dholak, harmonium, timki and violin will add to Prahlad Singh Tipanya and his troupe’s act — Kabir bhajans in the folk style of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, on April 14. “Kabir se judne ki samajh hume tambura ki wajah se hui. Gurgaon ko Kabir ke meethas mein rangne ka prayas karenge (We hope to immerse Gurugram in the sweetness inherent in Kabir’s words),” says Tipanya, whose performance will stress on the need to adopt love as the ultimate religion. The artist hopes to spread the message of peace and prosperity across the world.