Thumri fest to bring veterans to capital

New Delhi: The national capital will revel in the flavour of traditional "thumri" at a three-day festival Aug 27-29 at the Kamani theatre which will host stalwarts like Girija Devi, Ajoy Chakraborty, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Purnima Chaudhuri.

The seventh edition of the Thumri festival, presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), will feature the three main "gharanas" (schools) - Benaras, Patiala and Lucknow. "The objective is to enhance awareness about this prominent Indian music tradition for the international community and music connoisseurs in Delhi. The tradition which started in the capital has travelled to Lucknow and from there to Benaras, Gaya and Kolkata - developing into three major gharanas," director-general of ICCR Suresh Goel said, announcing the festival Thursday. Thumri is derived from the Hindi word "thum" representing the music from anklets and "thumak" - the graceful dance step. The language of the text is Braj bhasa. The genre peaked in the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in the 19th century in Lucknow. The festival will bring old and young performers on one platform. IANS