Festivals in India are the grand celebration of culture, tradition and heritage. An occasion to not just create a social bonding but also to enrich happiness in each other. At one end these festivals signify the history of our tradition and also lays importance to the spiritual meaning in every aspect. It is these festivals which allows the generations to experience and value their culture and traditions spreading positivity across.

Often, we have observed a close bond between these festivals and the art not just in Indian culture but across geographical locations. Have we ever wondered the reason behind it? Well, in regard to the Indian culture, way back since the Vedic times, a tradition to request and thank the divine power used to happen through various kinds of Yagna. During then mantra chanting was a way to please the supreme. As time passed the inclusion of music in the form of bhajans, and the folk dances began. Even now, during the harvest season each state in India has their traditional dances which are performed, for example Kolatta in Karnataka, Bihu in assam and others. The music to these dances is usually in praise with the respective deities. Bhagavadgita says, the demigods are given the responsibility to take care of every aspect of the nature and it is important for one to thank them. While yagna and mantras are one way to thank, yet another beautiful way to be grateful for what one has received is by celebrating the divine through art.

When closely observed the literature, poetry, music or the dance talks deeply about a particular subject be it divine, nature or a human portraying the importance and the significance. In the classical art, we have various compositions by popular composers describing the deity as a whole which connects the audience with the story. Example, everyone has read or heard the stories of Ramayana, though one cannot go back to the times of the Ramayana period yet with the help of the composers through their poetry, with the music and a dance performance, it can help us travel back to the times of the event. This auditory and visual delight also connects us with the stories and the beliefs due to which Indian festival completes by celebrating the lord through art till date.
It is always an artiste who has described the world beautifully through his imaginations and creativity. Whether the divine water actually flowed down through the lord’s head or was it an imagination of the poet when he first saw the mountain and the water stream flowing from its tip, we don’t know. But the experience of the seer is deeply rooted in each one of us till date strongly. The shastra says, one artistic performance is equivalent to thousand yagnas, this is because it is only the art which praises the beauty and the form and is there anyone on this earth would not love to see the celebration of self. This inseparable bond of festivities and art is since time immemorial and will continue soaring.
-Dr Rashmi Thaper, Bharatanatyam Artiste