UP Mahotsav: Pride of UP echoed in Bengaluru, grand finale of UP Mahotsav at Art of Living Center

Bengaluru, Read. I have been working in Bengaluru for the last ten years, but this festival reconnected me with my roots. The feeling of pride in one’s kingdom, one’s music, one’s food and one’s devotion was awakened again. Not Uttar Pradesh, this is really a great state.” These were the emotional words of an engineer from Uttar Pradesh, who attended the Uttar Pradesh Mahotsav held at The Art of Living Foundation’s international center in Bengaluru.

The four-day long UP Mahotsav has come to an end. This festival was being organized at the International Center of Art of Living in Bengaluru in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department. In which the art and culture of Uttar Pradesh was seen. People coming to the festival got a chance to know about the folk music, costumes and food of UP.

Celebrated cultural diversity
Global spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar specially arrived to participate in the festival. He said that the purpose of the festival is to celebrate the cultural diversity of the country by weaving cultures into one thread. Apart from this, a platform was provided to folk arts, textiles and folk music which were fighting for their existence. The four-day long festival completely painted the Ashram of Art of Living in the colors of UP. People came face to face with the state’s eternal spirituality, artistic heritage, soulful music, delicious cuisine and magnificent craftsmanship.

ODOP stall becomes attraction
UP government’s scheme One District One Product (ODOP) was the center of attraction in the ashram. People appreciated the products displayed on the stalls throughout the festival. Especially the youth were interested in one product stall in one district of UP. Sri Sri himself came to see this stall. He encouraged the craftsmen by praising the products displayed at the stall. From the chikankari of Lucknow to the magnificent sarees of Banaras, people were captivated. The hand-made carpets of Bhadohi and the perfume of Kannauj were greatly appreciated.

Festival full of dance and music
The festival started with a musical evening by Padma Shri awardee Urmila Srivastava. His folk tunes, drenched in the sweet aroma of soil, brought the essence of Purvanchal alive in Bengaluru. People who came to the musical evening were forced to go into old memories after listening to his folk tunes. Apart from this, Padma Bhushan Pandit Sajan Mishra performed the ceremony while famous Kathak dancer Aarti Natu performed with the group.

First time train journey in life
Thousands of people had reached Bengaluru to participate in the festival. The special thing is that there were many people who traveled by train for the first time in their life to come here. Art of Living volunteer Sushila, who came from Gorakhpur, said that for the first time in her life she bought a train ticket. On the occasion of Uttar Pradesh Mahotsav, 31 Veda students from Farrukhabad Gurukul came to participate in the program.