A three-day festival, ‘Lehar- the Wave’, which was a festival where various coastal folk dances of India were shown concluded on Sunday with grand finale. The festival was helpful in showcasing the rich Indian culture.

The backdrop of the festival too was apt and mesmerised the audience. The backdrop depicted the wonderful scenery of the beaches. The venue- Darya Sangam at Kala Academy was in fact the perfect choice for the performance of these dances which helped merge the beach atmosphere along with the coastal dances.

The festival kicked off on Friday evening. Present on the occasion was the state Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, Director of Art and Culture, Mr Prasad Lolayekar, Member Secretary of Kala Academy Dr Pandurang Phaldessai, state Chief Secretary, Mr Sanjay Srivastava and Additional Director of West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, Mr L N Mantri.

Mr Digambar Kamat said that, “The programme was a selection of the best coastal dances of India. He hoped this would be lovely treat for the Goan audience.”

Earlier, Mr Lolayekar informed that, the entire choreography was done by Tanay Raj Singh Soda. He said with pride, “the preference in venue for hosting such festivals always went to Goa.”

Addressing the gathering, Mr L N Mantri said, “Our organisation has been established to promote art and culture. The ‘Lehar- the Wave’ festival has eleven states participating and showcasing fifteen dance forms.”

He thanked the Kala Academy, Directorate of Art and Culture and all those who helped make this festival happen.

Chief Secretary, Mr Sanjay Srivastava said that, Goans were very much attracted towards art and culture. He hoped that this kind of festivals would give them a further opportunity to learn more about folk dances from the coastal belt of India.

The states showcasing their coastal folk dances in the festival was hosts Goa(‘Dekni’ dance), Daman (‘Machhi’ dance), Maharashtra( ‘Koli’ dance), Gujrat (‘Mer Raas’, ‘Siddhi Dhamal’), Karnataka (‘Dholu Kuthiya’), Orissa (‘Shankh Vadan’, ‘Ranapa’, ‘Chadaiya’ and ‘Gotipua’), Kolkatta (‘Rabha’ and ‘Baul’ singer), Kerala (‘Kalarippyatt’), Tamil Nadu(‘Oyilattam’), Pondicherry (‘Thirattam’) and Andhra Pradesh (‘Thapetta  Gullu’).