Arth celebrates culture and heritage of West Bengal

The celebration witnessed more than 50 artists, panelists, art and cultural performers and writers.

Some of these artists were Ustad Rashid Khan, Bickram Ghosh, Lillete Dubey, who presented her play Gauhar. An Odissi dance was performed by Dona Ganguly.

The culture quest also featured performances by Snighadeb Sengupta, poetry recitals by Bratati Bandopadhyay and Srijato, Rabindra Sangeet by Sounak Chattopadhyay and other regional forms.

There were several sessions, some of which touched upon topics like ‘A re-look at Naxalism in Bengal’, and ‘Mainstreaming the LGBTQ community’.

Meanwhile, a specialized workshop curated for kids, showcased a variety of traditional arts and crafts like block printing, dokra, doll making, jewellery making among others.

Speaking about the festival, author, historian and Director, ARTH, Vikram Sampath said: “The two-day cultural extravaganza saw a mix of speakers dwelling on the myriad flavours of Indian history & culture peppered with performances featuring music and dance forms of West Bengal.

"There was a mélange of opportunities for the intellectually and culturally oriented Bengalis of Kolkata to come and soak in the best that our culture has to offer. Through this initiative, we are attempting to create a platform for lovers of art and culture to learn and celebrate Indian culture across all its dimensions.”  

Shreyasi Goenka, Founder of ARTH and Director of SaathSaath Arts Foundation, Jaipur Sculpture Park, said, “It has truly been an enriching experience and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to commence ARTH - A Culture Quest than in the city of Kolkata. This isn’t merely a festival, but a culture quest that will keep alive the meaning and ethos of our culture.”