The inaugural edition of the Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival was launched at Amaravati earlier this month. Amaravati is popularly known as the ‘Holy Sangam’ of the rivers Krishna and Godavari. The festival, which is a 4-day event is the country’s first ever river front music and dance festival. The event has been organised by the state government to promote ‘Brand Amravati’ and has been planned to coincide with the National Women Parliament being held at the same venue from 10-12 February.
Spread over various genres, the festival is set to feature Indian classical, Western classical music (orchestral), Bollywood, global fusion, folk music as well as contemporary world music and Indian classical dances and is expected to be attended by around 10,000 spectators.
Speaking about the festival, Kaushik Mukherji, Lead Consultant (Tourism) said, “When we started planning for it we had two clear objectives. The Amaravati Music and Dance Festival is an attempt to create a series of initiatives that will highlight the value attributes that Amaravati stands for. Amaravati in our minds is going to be a centre for thought leadership, be it scientific or creative, that will over a period of time establish itself as a destination for curating similar cerebral experiences.”
Renowned violinist L. Subramaniam was engaged by the chief minister personally to choose the roaster of performances. The location of the event was chosen to represent the confluence of two streams of art i.e. music and dance. Apart from the elements of music and dance which are integral to the overall offering, the state tourism department has setup 12 high-end, air-conditioned and fully furnished tents on the opposite side of the festival, on an island, to showcase to its potential clientele that the undertaking is much more than just a cultural fiesta but rather a more immersive experiential product awaiting them. The state tourism department believes that it is an out and out family experience which has something in it for everybody. The festival also includes activities like hot air ballooning, para motoring and also a private boat as part of the experience.
Andhra Pradesh, through this laudable attempt, has pushed the envelope in the right direction. Given that the state is eager to make a mark on the national pedestal, after its bifurcation from Telangana, this move has signalled its intent that it plans to make the most of its natural settings, and available resources. It will go a long way in creating traction in domestic and international circuit.
