The second annual three-day festival of Indian classical music and dance was held in the Kresge auditorium at MIT on June 25-27. This event not only showcased the talents of artists from the New England and New York area, it provided a delightful time to over 300 people, and all proceeds will support grassroots initiatives for sustainable and equitable development in India.

On Friday June 25, over 120 people sat enthralled till well past 11 pm, savoring the Hindustani and Carnatic music. They left reluctantly, wishing they had more time to listen to the artists, Anurag Harsh, Aparna Balaji, Durga Krishnan, Shuchita Rao, Usha Verma, and V.K. Raman.

On Saturday, a troupe of 16 people, comprising Pt. Satya Narayan Charka and his students, drove from New York to present a spell-binding performance of Kathak, that included traditional themes such as Krishna-Leela as well as modern innovative numbers like Kathak Yoga.

Sunday saw scintillating Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi dances from Sridevi Thirumalai, Triveni dancers, Rajul Shah, and their troupes. The ever-popular Dashavatar and ‘plate’ dances kept the audience captivated.

For the volunteers of AID-Boston, it was the culmination of months of hard work and planning. This group of students and young professionals handled all the aspects of this event, right from designing flyers, posters and tickets, distributing publicity material and talking to people in various Indian grocery stores and restaurants, temples, and schools, and managing the food-stall during the event. The best thing is that the sounds of this music and dance festival in Cambridge will resonate in the smiles of children, women and men in various parts of India.

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