The national capital’s cultural life was said to be at its peak during the reign of the last Mughal emperor — Bahadur Shah Zafar. The onset of ‘s a a w a n’ was greeted with grandeur and revelry during Bahadur Shah’s reign. On Tuesday, audience at the India International Centre (IIC) was treated to the age-old celebrations with a performance titled ‘C e l e b r a t i n g S a a w a n i n P u r a - n i D i l l i’.
The cultural show organized by India Harmony Foundation (IHF) was part of a two-day festival celebrating socio-cultural peace. The festival came to an end on Tuesday with a scintillating performance by artistes, who tried to bring alive the festivities experienced in the royal court to welcome the monsoon. “The idea is to try and bring out the soul of the capital which has a 5000-year-old history,” said Kulsoomnoor Saifullah, director of the show. Saifullah said, “Zafar was the last emperor of the country and the son of a Rajput woman. He tried to be a people’s emperor and his kingdom celebrated all seasons. After him the people of Delhi had to accustom themselves to a different environment. We tried to portray the spirit and the way people lived during his reign.”
The show featured a synthesis of poetry, music and dance. The performances included the narration of anecdotes by descendants of the famous Urdu poet Hali — Syeda Hameed, member of the Planning Commission and her sister Zakia Zaheer. Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan and her group presented a dance performance while Farhan Mujib rendered ghazals of Ghalib and Zafar. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who was present at the function, said that despite living in modern times people still remember the history and culture of Delhi..