Lucknow: The sixth day of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0, organized by the North Central Regional Cultural Centre, Prayagraj, the South Regional Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, concluded with a vibrant cultural evening at Muktakashi Prangan, Namo Ghat. The event featured performances by artists from Tamil Nadu and Varanasi, celebrating the confluence of traditions.
The evening opened with folk singing by Mamta Sharma and her troupe from Varanasi, beginning with a Ganga bhajan, “Chalomon Ganga Jamuna Teer”, followed by a Shiva bhajan, “Jekar Nath Vishwanath U Anath Kaise…”. The highlight was the energetic performance of “Dam Dam Damru Bajawela Hamar Jogiya”, accompanied by Kumar on tabla and Dilip Kumar on harmonium.
The second performance featured bhajan singing by Dr. Shivani Shukla and her troupe, Varanasi, starting with an ektaal composition, “Adi Dev Mahadev…”, followed by “Avgun Chit Na Dharo…”, and concluding with “Kar Manwa Ram Raghurai…”. Tabla accompaniment was by Ankit Kumar Singh, violin by Sukhdev Mishra, and side rhythm by Sanjay Srivastava.
Geetanjali and her troupe from Tamil Nadu presented the third performance, showcasing traditional folk dances including Karakattam, Mayilattam, and Poikkal Kuthirai Attam.
The fourth performance was a Bharatanatyam dance-drama by Shubhangi Singh and her troupe, Varanasi, depicting the Ramayana episode of Jatayu’s liberation. The dancers included Shubhangi Singh, Vagisha Singh, Jeyrsa Yashomia, and Aarti Kandu.
The fifth presentation featured Kathak dance by Sunidhi Pathak and her troupe, Varanasi, with performances including Manglacharan – Shiva Vandana, a pure Tarana, and a concluding Sufiana composition reflecting the Rukhsar tradition. Dancers were Sushma Bharti, Priya Dubey, Vishal Singh, and Ashutosh Singh.
The evening concluded with another vibrant folk dance by Geetanjali and her troupe, Tamil Nadu. The program was skillfully hosted by Saurabh Chakravarty.
The highlight of the evening, “Dam Dam Damru Bajawela Hamar Jogiya”, had the audience dancing and clapping along, reflecting the rich cultural synthesis of Kashi and Tamil traditions.
