Celebrity artistes to perform at Magh Mela cultural extravaganza

Prayagraj: To add cultural grandeur to Magh Mela, the Uttar Pradesh department of culture has invited celebrity artistes from across the country to perform at the month-long religious congregation.As part of this, a 2-day cultural extravaganza featuring folk and classical music and dance will be organised on Jan 4 and 5 at the Ganga Pandal in the mela area. The cultural evening on Jan 4 will be headlined by folk singer Padma Shri Malini Awasthi from Lucknow, whose performances rooted in Awadhi and Bhojpuri traditions are widely acclaimed. The same evening will also feature Ram Jaanam of Varanasi with shankh vadan, folk singing by Sangeeta Mishra and Uday Chandra Pardesi from Prayagraj, a classical vocal recital by Varun Mishra of Lucknow, folk dance (Dhedhiya) by Kriti Srivastava of Prayagraj, and a Kathak performance by Neeta Joshi of Lucknow. On Jan 5, the spotlight will be on Chandigarh-based Sufi singer Mamta Joshi, whose soulful renditions are expected to draw large audiences. The programme will also include a keyboard performance by Vijay Chandra of Prayagraj, classical Dhrupad singing by Pandit Vinod Dwivedi of Kanpur, folk singing by Harpreet Kaur of Varanasi, folk dance (Diwari–Pai Danda) by Vipin Yadav of Mahoba, and a classical dance/dance drama presentation by Shubham Tiwari of Lucknow. Officials said the initiative aims to position Magh Mela not only as a centre of religious faith but also as a national platform for India's rich folk and classical art traditions, blending spirituality with cultural celebration.