Dehradun – The 30th edition of REACH Virasat festival is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Atomic bombing at Hiroshima eighty years ago. Virasat has been working towards creating an awareness and sensitivity towards the human aspect of society and culture. It is the need of the hour in the world facing the incessant wars and strifes currently .
The highly anticipated Virasat Art and Heritage Festival 2025 will commence on October 04 ,2025 with the Sarod recital by the world legendary Sarod Player Ustad Amjal Ali Khan at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Stadium, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun. The event will be inaugurated by the chief guest in the presence of other invited dignitaries
The festival is an energetic celebration of Culture of Indian and worldwide folk and classical music, dance, arts, crafts, and history.It is organized by Rural Entrepreneurship for Art and Cultural History (REACH).
In a press conference held at Madhuban Hotel, Rajpur road Mr.R.K Singh, Founding member of REACH and its General Secretary shared details of the event. He emphasized, “Virasat is an annual cultural festival showcasing India’s rich artistic traditions and heritage. This festival provides a platform for artisans and craftsmen to present their folk and classical art forms, maintaining the essence of Indian culture. The journey of Virasat which started in 1995 with the help of Country’s Maharatna ONGC is completing 30 years of preserving and promoting rich cultural heritage of India and other countries as well”.
The 15-day festival will feature a diverse array of programs. Highlights include heritage showcase sessions, where young artists from schools and colleges in Dehradun will display their talents and also participate in craft workshops led by master artisans, Heritage quiz competition, Crafts treasure Hunt and many other activities. Special sessions are also held for specially abled students during Virasat.
The grand stage will be made in the image of another historical site of India,The Surya Mandir constructed by the Kashmiri King Lalitaditya Muktapida of the Karkota Dynasty.
It is a significant example of Kashmiri architecture and is located on a plateau near the village of Kehribal, in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir.
There will be the speciality handloom and crafts, pottery, wood work, metal craft, leather craft and many more stalls from various states adding the glitz to the festival.
Additionally, a vintage car and bike rally, a heritage quiz, a photography competition, and talks on music, film,history and literature by experts such Historian Sohail Hasmi, critic Shailaja Khanna, Artist Jatin Das, FilmMaker Anubhav Sinha and Journalists Rajesh badal and Shashi Keswani and Ex-foreign secretary Mr. Shyam Saran will also enrich and regale the listeners.
Many folk and classical art forms from all over India and the neighbouring countries will be featured in the performances, such as the Chholiya and other folks dances & folks songs by Upreti sisters, Chakravyuh – famous Folk theatre of Uttarakhand, the folk music and dances of Gujarat, Goa, Sri Lanka , Kyrgyzstan and Belarus and Bharatnatyam from Tamilnadu, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh and Kathak from Uttar Pradesh The event’s main attraction will be a magnificent instrumental music program that includes performances of Ghazal, Sufi, and Carnatic music in addition to Hindustani and Carnatic classical music. Renowned performers such as Dr.N.Rajam, Pt.Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt.Sajan Mishra, Parveen Sultana, Ashwini Bhide, Anupama Bhagwat, Ustad Ahmad Hussain and Muhammad Hussain, Manoj Tiwari, Usha Uthup, Prabhakar and Diwakar Kashyap, Adnan Khan, Pratik Shrivastav, Anirudh Aithal, Soumitra Thakur, Deepak Kshirsagar, Shinjini Kulkarni, Omkar Dadarkar, Praveen Godkhindi, Osman Mir, Manjari Chaturvedi, Jawaad Ali Khan, Shashwati Mandal, Jayatirth Mewundi, Deborshee Bhattacherjee, Yadnesh Raikar, Abhay Sopori, Ramana Balchandhran, Arunima Kumar, Debopriya and Shuchismita Chaterjee and Nayanika Ghosh will perform.
A Mushaira will host the well known poets like Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Farhat Ehsas, Madan Mohan Danish, Shakeel Azmi, Dr.Nusrat Mehdi and Rashmi Saba.
The press conference was attended by R.K. Singh, General Secretary, Rural Entrepreneurship for Art and Cultural Heritage (REACH), Vijayashree Joshi, Joint Secretary, Sunil Verma Director Craft, Pradeep Maithal, Head Operations, Priyamvada Iyer Media Incharge and other key officials from REACH were present at the event.
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