City hosts fiveday Ramayana festival of ASEAN countries
The Capital is hosting the Ramayana Festival of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Kamani Auditorium till January 24.
The five-day gala festival, organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, sees the convergence of top groups from all 10 ASEAN member nations — Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR, says, “The event features performances by cultural troupes from all 10 ASEAN countries. Through the Ramayana, the festival is showcasing the choreography rooted in the performing arts’ traditions of South East Asia.”
He adds, “India enjoys strong civilisational links with all ASEAN countries. The Ramayana, as it is performed in the ASEAN countries, is a bond of common heritage.”
During the festival, the troupes will stage various episodes of the epic. They will reveal the assimilation, indigenisation, and reinterpretation the epic has undergone in all the different nations. After their performances in Delhi, the Ramayana groups will tour Ayodhya, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.
The Ramayana, one of the world’s longest epics, called the “adi kavya”, or the first poems, has inspired poets, painters, sculptors, dancers, and musicians. The epic weaves wisdom, ethics, values into a narrative allegory.
THE RAMAYANA FESTIVAL SEES THE CONVERGENCE OF TOP GROUPS FROM ALL THE 10 ASEAN MEMBER NATIONS