Floral Holi Celebrated with Traditional Fag Songs
Lucknow: Amidst the rhythmic beats of the dholak and the soulful melodies of traditional Fag songs, women enthusiastically celebrated a vibrant floral Holi in Gomti Nagar’s Vishwas Khand. The occasion was further enriched by the launch of senior litterateur Dr. Karuna Pandey’s book Holi Ke Rang Kumaon Ke Sang. The event was organized under the joint auspices of the Lok Sanskriti Research Institute and the Lucknow Literary Club.
During the ceremony, esteemed speakers expressed their views and extended their congratulations to the author. Padma Shri awardee Dr. Vidya Vindu Singh described traditional Fag songs as an invaluable treasure of folk culture, emphasizing that the festival of Holi provides a lively expression of communal joy.
Speaking about her work, author Dr. Karuna Pandey highlighted the gradual disappearance of rich cultural traditions over time. She noted that while the younger generation is familiar with Bollywood Holi songs, they are increasingly disconnected from the traditional folk songs of their land. Holi Ke Rang Kumaon Ke Sang aims to preserve this heritage by documenting 123 songs from the Kumaon region, including Khadi Holi, Baithaki Holi, and Mahila Holi traditions.
The event was graced by several distinguished personalities, including former chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy Dr. Purnima Pandey, senior vocalist Padma Gidwani, Vimal Pant, Uma Trigunayat, Vineet Sinha, chief editor of Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan Dr. Amita Dubey, general secretary of the State Employee Literary Institution Dr. Seema Gupta, and secretary of Lok Sanskriti Research Institute Dr. Sudha Dwivedi, among others. Prerna Pandey welcomed the guests with traditional abeer and gulal.
The event commenced with a Ganesh Vandana by Rupali Srivastava, followed by a series of devotional and folk songs such as Siddhi Ko Data Vighna Vinashan, Himalaya Dana Laal Bhayo, Shiv Shankar Khelat Hai Holi, Aaj Biraj Mein Holi Re Rasiya, and Aayo Naval Basant. The concluding song, Kesari Rang Daro Bhigawan, bestowed blessings upon all present. The melodious renditions by Nirmala Pant, Aruna Upadhyay, Sharda Pandey, Neera Mishra, Jyoti Kiran Ratan, Dr. Anju Bharti, Sarita Singh, Neena Singh, Anamika, Anita Gupta, Geeta Chaudhary, Dr. Manju Mehrotra, Rita Agarwal, Poonam Kanwal, Kumkum Mishra, Hemlata Tripathi, Archana Gupta, Lakshmi Joshi, Kiran Yadav, Swara Tripathi, Haritima Pant, Prof. Seema Sarkar, and others transformed the atmosphere into a vibrant celebration of Holi.
The event was also attended by Anil Pandey, Chetan Bisht, Dr. S.K. Gopal, Shashank, Lalit Bhatt, and several other dignitaries, making it a memorable confluence of literature, music, and culture.
