10th VHAH Festival to be held from January 22 in Ramgarh Shekhawati

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) The 10th edition of Vedaaranya Heritage and Healing (VHAH) Festival at Ramgarh Shekhawati in Rajasthan will begin from January 22 with focus restoring the local economy, preserving the region's intangible traditions, and rebuild the historic city as a "habitat of the future", the organisers have announced.

Organised by Shruti Foundation, UNESCO and INTACH, the 10th anniversary edition in the city that is known as the "open air art gallery of Rajasthan" will unfold across its grand havelis, frescoed walls, chhatris, stepwells, and the Ramgarh Fort.

With 'Women in Heritage' as its theme, the festival will open with a panel led by Tim Curtis, head of UNESCO South Asia; Kadambari Jadeja, member of erstwhile royal family of Rajkot; vocalist Pandit Sajan Misra, actor Ila Arun, dancer Geeta Chandran, playwright Rama Pandey, and art curator Alka Pande.

The panel will explore the role of women in shaping the heritage the Shekhawati region, the arts, and the cultural imagination of India and the world.

“Ramgarh Shekhawati is a living heritage civilization and not simply a venue. She shares that the dream of VHAH Fest has always been to revive this extraordinary region and bring its creativity, wisdom and healing traditions back into the centre of public consciousness.

"The tenth anniversary edition is a celebration of women and the feminine who have shaped heritage through the ages, in ways both visible and invisible and that the world will experience Shekhawati as a Habitat of the Future," Shruti Nada Poddar, founder at Shruti Foundation, said in a statement.

Among the highlights of the festival will be a grand musical evening by Ila Arun, performance by Gauri Sharma Tripathi, and dastaan goi on the life of Meena Kumari performed by Fouzia Dastango, the celebrated Daastango.

The Grand Archway Gallery at Mohar Haveli will present an exhibition titled "Raja Ravi Varma’s Women in Art and Their Influence on the Indian Mind".

The festival will also feature "Chant and Cello", a spiritual and classical musical experience by Saskia Rao de Haas and Shruti Nada Poddar.

A unique east west collaboration with Jack Warnock and the Manganiyars will bring together Irish melodies with Rajasthani rhythms. Folk traditions of Rajasthan will come alive with performances by Langa musicians and the Kalbeliya community.

The festival will also host workshops on dhurrie making, "Ala Gila" traditional wall painting, and sculptural line drawing.

It will come to an end on January 26. PTI MAH MAH MAH