Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The nippy January is over, and the residents of Bhopal are enjoying the mango-flower winter giving off the message of the spring season.
The trees and rose plants are in bloom on the premises of Bharat Bhawan whose surroundings are echoed with the chants of feathered friends from faraway places.
The scene was aptly painted on the canvas, against which the three-day Bhopal Literature Festival (BLF) began on Friday.
The festival got the tinge of spring since the beginning when Nutan Ninad presented “Sakal Ban Phool Rahi Sarson… Ambwa Phoote, Tesu Phoole Koel Bole Dar Dar… (The yellow mustard is blooming in every field: mango buds are clicking open, other flowers too; the Koel chirps from branch to branch)” composed by 13th century Sufi poet Amir Khusro.
The song composed in Raag Bahar also gave the feel of the advent of the spring season. The Antrang Hall of Bharat Bhawan reverberated with the melodious voices of the artistes of Nautan Nad, which captivated the audience.
Afterwards, the students of National Institute of Design presented two Bollywood numbers of yesteryear: Roop Tera Mastana and Chura Liya Hai…. The audience tapped their toes and clapped to appreciate the songs presented by the youngsters. The students of the same institution presented Ganesh Vandana through a classical dance.
Chairman of the festival committee Raghav Chandra spoke about a few literary events across the world. Earlier in the day, an art exhibition, in which the paintings of tribal artists and handicrafts made of wood and bamboos were on display, was inaugurated.
The festival began with the opening of the art exhibition. It happened for the first time in the seven-year history of BLF that the event was inaugurated with a tribal painting exhibition. Artists, both men and women, from faraway places, like Bastar, in tribal attire, explained to visitors about the paintings they have made.
A large number of students from different institutions in the state capital enjoyed the inaugural programme of the BLF.
Also, there is a book exhibition-cum-sale where books of authors, like Haruki Murakami and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, are available.
