With Covid curbs off, culture windfall awaits fans

Two major cultural events that opened during the weekend are cause for much excitement for Nagpurians. After a drought of events during the pandemic years, the Orange City Craft Mela and the two-day Orange City International Film festival have come as a much-desired reprieve to entertainment starved denizens.

“Though the craft mela is organized in the months of December or January we decided to hold it now as the summer is yet to to set in,” said

Deepak Khirwadkar

, director of SCZCC. “We are holding it in the interest of the performing artists who have been literally out of work and were feeling disheartened.”

With normalcy returning gradually in all spheres, cultural activities, the worst hit of all, have also got an uptick. “The flea markets organized by us on March 5 and 6 received good response and more indoor events are now planned in the next fortnight,” says

Yogita Chaudhary

, programme co-ordinator at Chitnavis Centre.

The calendar for the next fortnight includes a classical music show by local artists — Chaitra Pahat — on April 2. There will also be a lecture on Lord Ram on April 3 followed by a tribute to Lata Mangeshkar by Surabhi Dhomne. “The online events were tiring and were not getting the desired viewership,” she says.

Singer Niranjan Bobde is gearing up for a performance at Manish Nagar ground on April 2. “Before that I am planning a musical show based on films of Shammi Kapoor,” says Bobde who runs a music academy in the city. Ask how prepared is he to take the stage once again after a hiatus of two years and Bobde says, “People have been messaging me to hold a musical show and it is this eagerness that gives me immense confidence to go out and perform.”

The anchors once again have their dairies full as musical shows, book releases and award presentations have been scheduled for this month. “Those segments of Khasdaar Sanskrutik Mahotsav which could not be held due to Covid will now be staged from March 19 to 24,” informs Renuka Deshkar who anchors the event. Shankar Mahadeven, Sunidhi Chauhan, Hema Malini and Javed Ali are set to perform at the event.

“The number of events will increase steadily now that audience have got over their fears,” says Shweta Shelgaonkar who will be anchoring the early morning classical music event Bramhanaad at SCZCC among other engagements.

Taking baby steps towards indoor shows are those involved in theatre activities. The audience response had been poor and with the 50% occupancy conditions for theatres during the curbs imposed for Covid, there were flop shows. “I have a plan to stage two Marathi plays — Pani re Pani and Jai Bola Priye Patniji — around March 21 at Vasantrao Deshpande hall. I am hopeful as the audience are returning to theatres and auditoriums now. Previously the fifty percent occupancy rule had made holding shows unviable,” says writer-director Rajesh Chitnis.

It’s the event organizers who have borne the brunt of the lockdown and the subsequent curbs when the country began to reopen. “The artists were still keeping busy doing shows online or accepting invites for private performances. But those dependent on shows held in auditoriums and theatres were truly jobless,” says event manager Samir Pandit who had organized the Vasant Utasv event in early February.

“The 50% occupancy rule was still in place so I had to price the tickets high to cover the cost. I think the situation will bounce back in just three months if the artists and all other stakeholders co-operate in terms of fee, dates and other related issues,” Pandit adds.