CCRT Presents Virasat: A Four-Day Cultural Extravaganza in Dwarka

Cultural Resources & Training (CCRT) is hosting a four-day cultural festival called ‘Virasat – Kamaladevi’ in honour of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the founder and first chairperson of CCRT. The festival will be held from March 24th to March 27th, 2023, at CCRT Campus in Dwarka, New Delhi.

According to Shri Rishi Vashist, Director of CCRT, the festival is a tribute to Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay,Kamaladevi was a pioneer in establishing Cultural and Educational Institutions after India's independence. In 1979, she envisioned the idea of CCRT, emphasizing the importance of linking education with culture to promote Indian art and culture among children and the masses. The National Policy of Education (NEP) 2020 also emphasizes this fact, highlighting the importance of Kamaladevi's vision and CCRT's mission of strengthening the roots of India.

The festival will feature six plays, with one play being staged each day.

On Day 1, ‘Pahatiya’ will be staged, directed by Dr Yogendra Choubey from Natya Vibhag Rangmandal, Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya. On Day 2, ‘Ek Inspector Se Mulaqat,’ conceptualized and directed by Shri Sharad Sharma of Abhinav Rangmandal, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, will be staged. Day 3 will feature ‘Sardar,’ directed by Shri Ramji Bali from Theatre Wala Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and ‘Sandhya Chhaya,’ directed by Shri Sudesh Sharma from Theatre for Theatre, Chandigarh. Day 4 will showcase two small plays by Nagpur-based theatre group: ‘Chidiya, Chhilke aur Sahgal’ and ‘Bhatki Gazal,’ both directed by Dr Vinod Narayan Indurkar from National Art & Craft Creator Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi will be the Chief Guest of the "Siddhi Samaroh" (Valedictory) on Monday, March 27th, 2023, from 11 am to 01.00 pm at CCRT's Bharatmuni Natyagriha. She will inaugurate an exhibition of 30 paintings of women freedom fighters and unveil the statue of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay on CCRT Campus. CCRT’s scholarship holders’ children from Interpretation Centers of Varanasi & Amrit Camps, Udaipur, will present a cultural presentation during the festival. Additionally, a ramp walk by 35 women artists wearing their hand-painted sarees during the art camp will be an added attraction.

The Ninth Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Memorial Lecture will be delivered in the evening by Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice Chancellor of Central Sanskrit University, Delhi, on “Kala, Sanskriti Evam Sanskrit.” There will be an address to the audience by eminent personalities such as Dr Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, a senior Marathi poet and writer of the play, and Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA.