Lucknow: The arrival of spring was celebrated with vibrant colours, music and folk traditions at the 82nd Lok Chaupal organised by the Lok Sanskriti Shodh Sansthan on Saturday at the Ahimardan Patalpuri Temple परिसर. Held in a festive atmosphere, the event marked Basantotsav with a kite-flying competition that transformed the Gomti riverbank into a lively canvas of fluttering, colourful kites.
The programme opened with a Shri Ram Stavan rendered by Chaupal in-charge Archana Gupta. Sansthan president Jitesh Srivastava formally welcomed the participants, while secretary Dr Sudha Dwivedi introduced the theme of the gathering. Speakers highlighted the importance of folk traditions, collective living and seasonal festivals in preserving cultural continuity and social harmony.
The cultural session was the highlight of the Lok Chaupal, as singers presented a rich repertoire of Basant-themed folk songs and devotional compositions, filling the venue with melody and joy. Senior folk singer Sharda Pandey enthralled the audience with “Aayi Re Basant Bahaar Kuhuk Bole Koyaliya”. Other notable performances included Madhuri Srivastava’s “Mere Kanth Baso Maharani”, Aruna Upadhyay’s Ganga geet, Sarita Agarwal’s “Main To Naval Basant Manaay Rahi”, Chitra Srivastava’s “Sakhi Basant Aaya” and Neelima Singh’s “Jahan Ramayan Ho Hain Ram Wahan”.
Devotional and folk renditions by Renu Dubey, Preeti Srivastava, Ratna Shukla, Geeta Shukla, Shikha Srivastava, Anuj Srivastava, Alka Chaturvedi, Prof Usha Bajpai, young singer Anup Sharma, Deveshwari Panwar, Meena Mishra and Swara Tripathi further enriched the cultural ambience. The programme concluded with a Tehri Bhoj, symbolising participation, sharing and the spirit of collective folk tradition.
The kite-flying competition witnessed enthusiastic participation from women and children, who were also educated about safety measures to ensure that kite strings do not pose a danger to people or animals. With the support of Social Lifeline Foundation, the event was coordinated by its president Dr Anil Gupta. Renowned kite flyers from old Lucknow—Anup Kumar Shukla, Shivansh, Akshat, Rishu, Manas and Arun—captivated the audience with their skill and artistry.
Several prominent personalities attended the Lok Chaupal, including Rajnarayan Verma, Little Champs Principal Richa Mathur, Avneesh Shukla, Akhilesh Trivedi Shashwat, Neelam Verma, Homendra Mishra, Jyoti Kiran Ratan, senior journalist Shambhu Sharan Verma, young poet Krishna Singh, Shashank Sharma, Arpit Srivastava, Madhuri, Anil Srivastava, Hemlata Tripathi, Adhvan Mani Tripathi and many others.
The event once again reaffirmed Lucknow’s deep-rooted folk traditions and its enduring celebration of seasonal rhythms through community participation and cultural expression.
