The ongoing Mahindra Santakada Festival offered a mix of cultural events during the five-day event being held at Safed Baradari, Kaiserbagh. From Dastanjoy, music and dance to theatre, there is a lot on offer to visitors besides literary sessions, shopping and food. We get the business out of opening day.
Dastanju Mahmood Abdi, a lawyer by profession, says the sweetness of the Lucknow language is a beautiful blend of Hindi, Urdu and Awadhi dialect.
“Jo halawa hai Lucknow ki zubaan main wo awadhi se aye hai.” “The strength of our language is such that even in a crowd of people Lucknow people can be recognized when they speak,” says Abdi. He also talked about the two divisions of Zuban (where the coin minting unit was established in Chowk district) which diluted the purity of the language like Nihari became Nihari, Taqta became Thakat etc.
Lucknowite Askari Naqvi presented three ghazals from Mir Taqi Mir. He was well supported by Naveen Mishra, Mohammad Rafi, Tusshar Sahi, Harshwardhan Singh Negi, Aditya Pratap Singh, Aditya and Abhiraj Shahi.
“I tried to add a new dimension to the strength of my performances like Dastanjoy and Suzkhwani. This is the first time I have performed with a band that plays a combination of classical instruments like sitar, tabla and shehnai along with modern ones.
The play taking topics,Held at Baradari by Swatantra Talim, the team turned out to be a well-coordinated act where live presentation of threads and weaving, sharp script, strong narrative and clever actions were elegantly woven together to showcase the lives of the artisans. The play is inspired by the real-life stories of Chikan Karigari women artisans.
“We have curated events that highlight art and craft in the literal sense. Such purposeful presentations create awareness about our local handicrafts,” says Santakada founder Madhvi Kukreja.
Moreover, Neelakshi Rai captivated the audience with her Kathak performance on songs like Quiet night and day And On our attic.
The festival's visitor attraction is not limited to the shopping and cultural arena. Options are available in the open area of Baradari and on the lawns of Salempur House. “We tried light options like chaat and hot pakoris along with home-cooked snacks at Naeematkhan stall. But the real action happens in the meadows where the kebab and kulcha nihari stalls are set up. The perfect ending was the Kashmiri tea with Malay,” adds visitor Umesh Gupta.
Popular restaurants like Raheem's, Tundey Kababi, Tiwari Chaat and Ah So Yum have been placed at the place. From dimsums, bao, sushi, Rajasthani food, home cooked khichda food and Awadhi food, the options are many.
The highlight of the Sunday afternoon will be the Awadhi Home Cooked Food Festival, which is witnessing a huge turnout of food lovers.
