Delhi’s cultural legacy

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL’S legacy of culture, music and literature was celebrated and explored in a unique festival called “Meer ki Dilli”– the first edition of words in the garden that revolved around the theme of “City, Nature, Love and Loneliness”. Held at the Indian International Centre, it took the audience on a historical ride to the era of great Urdu poet, Meer Taqi Meer. The inaugration on February 24 was followed by a beautiful concert by Sadarang and Adarang to celebrate the musical heritage of the Capital.

Organised by the Sanatan Sangeet Sanskriti along with personalities like Ashok Vajpeyi, Vikram lal and Muzzafar Ali, the festival explored the city through words, ideas, expressions, exhibitions and performances. “We are trying to bring forth the rich and complex variety that Delhi has in creativity and reflection, in languages and the arts. We celebrate, explore and quantity/portions first;

Procure the food smartly based on weekly consumption to the extent possible. If you buy more than what you consume then the difference will naturally result in wastage; interrogate Delhi in all its hues and colours,” said the organiser, Ashok Vajpeyi. Renowned names like Shashi Tharoor, Pavan Varma, Ravi Agarwal, Vimlendu Jha and Saaed Naqvi spoke at the event for various sessions in “Meer ki Dilli.”

Trying to highlight the contradiction between the theme of the festival and politics, Shashi Tharoor said, “Delhi is in many ways and for most Indians much more typified by its bureaucracy and politics, the city is known for the imposing building rather than the cool gardens, we know Delhi much more for its stuffy bureaucrats pushing musty files and politicians making important speeches. For a long time it was seen as a city without a soul.”

The two-day festival closed with soulful music depicting the mood and spirit of seasons like Varsha, Hemant and Vasant by one of the finest classical vocalists of the younger generation – Kalapini Komkali.

Make sure you cook the food keeping in mind a realistic requirement. You can always complete your meal with few fruits than keeping extra food in refrigerator. It is a better and healthier practice;

Use FIFO (First in First Out) as a rule especially for green vegetables and fruits. Consume what you bought first;

Reuse the left over if possible, for instance, stale rice makes good fried rice;

Educate your children of the importance of food;

In a nutshell, food should reach not garbage bins and landfills but find place in human stomach. It will bring smiles on hungry faces.