Kusum Bhatt Moves Tears
Successful Staging of Uttarakhand’s Folk Arts, ‘Mask Dance’ and ‘Pandav Bharat’
Shalendra Maithani
New Delhi. Dr. Kusum Bhatt, from Devbhoomi, Uttarakhand, moved the audience to witness her performance with her direction and artistry. The cultural program held at Muktidhara Auditorium on Sunday featured a successful staging of two major folk theatre forms of Uttarakhand – Mask Dance and Pandav Bharat (Pandav Dance), which was a memorable and heartwarming experience for the audience.
Sanjay Garg, Secretary of the Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari Academy, inaugurated the program by lighting the lamp. On this occasion, eminent artists and dignitaries from Uttarakhand were honored by Academy Secretary Sanjay Garg by waving shawls. Muktidhara Hall was packed with the audience.
This cultural program was conducted under the direction of renowned director and singer Dr. Kusum Bhatt, who holds a PhD in music. The program featured two captivating dance dramas based on the folklore and folklore of Uttarakhand, which were greatly appreciated by the audience.Maur Mauriyan,” based on the world-famous “mask style,” impressed.
The program began with “Maur Mauriyan,” a play based on Uttarakhand’s unique mask style. The artists brought the characters to life through masks. Uttarakhand’s Ramman mask style is renowned worldwide and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This performance deeply introduced the audience to this unique and ancient folk theatre art of Uttarakhand and left them deeply impressed.The Mahabharata saga “Draupadi ko Narain” moved the audience.
The second dance drama, “Draupadi ko Narain,” moved the audience. This performance depicted a significant episode of Uttarakhand’s famous Pandava Bharata style—the disrobing of Draupadi. The performers, in traditional folk style, depicted how a single piece of cloth could lead to the destruction of the Kauravas.
When the play reached its climax during the snatching of Draupadi’s cloth, the audience felt a tremor within themselves. When Narayan Hari descended, a supernatural magical aura permeated the entire hall. The audience witnessed a supernatural energy enter them. Many spectators were seen trembling and dancing strangely, as if a deity had entered them. Some spectators, dancing and swaying strangely, were shouting and making strange sounds. The audience gallery was filled with a miraculous energy. A spectacular scene unfolded inside the hall. Kusum Bhatt’s voice possessed a magic that penetrated deep into people’s hearts. At the end of the program, the audience stood up and greeted Kusum Bhatt and her team with a thunderous applause of about 10 times.
