Punjab: The industrial city of Ludhiana is these days lost in Sufi nights, exploring rich handicrafts and enjoying an array of culinary experiences from across the country. The 10-day Rural Urban Heritage (RUH) Festival organised at the grounds of Government College for Girls is proving to be every art lover’s delight, where specialities from different states are available under one roof. The festival features award-winning artisans like Islam Ahmed, who has demonstrated lac bangle making at the Cannes Film Festival thrice, and Sant Kabir Award winner Rapolu Ramalingam as its main attractions. Live demonstrations of traditional crafts like lac bangle making, Rajasthani woodwork, Khadi weaving and tie-dye, Tamil Nadu wood carving, glass and Madhubani paintings, doll making, etc. are drawing the attention of every visitor. It is interesting to see how Islam Ahmed kneads, folds, stretches and interlocks the lac to make bangles. Ahmed says, “We get lac from trees and make around 40 pairs of bangles from 1 kg.
The colours come from the powdered semi-precious stone. In a day, we make around 200 pairs of bangles.” Every evening there is a cultural evening attended by globally acclaimed artists, who leave the art lovers of Ludhiana spellbound. Sufi evening with Sultana Nooran, Sufi band performance by Suhail, Qawwali night with Niazi Brothers, stage performance by Harmon German duo, live act by Ali Zain and performance by Lakhwinder Wadali are the main attractions. The Rural Urban Heritage Festival brings together renowned artists from seven countries and 20 Indian states for performances in folk dance, folk music, handicrafts and Sufi traditions. The festival also organises live workshops on sculpture, handicrafts and other art forms. The first evening of the festival was dedicated to the dohas of Kabir. With Kabir’s couplets, including “Aye ji Ram naam ki loot hai…” and “Dheere dheere re mann, dheere sab kuchh hoye…”, the RUH Festival turned into an intense spiritual experience. Renowned artist Mukesh Chauhan and his team enthralled the audience by rendering Kabir’s couplets to soulful tunes and introduced the audience to the rich tradition of Indian culture and the wisdom of the saints.
The audience wholeheartedly immersed themselves in the performance and experienced the profound wisdom of Kabir’s words. Sultana Nooran’s Sufi evening was another musical and spiritual journey, as the renowned singer enthralled the audience with her captivating voice and filled the air with the divine essence of Sufi music. Her performance included popular renditions of “Qalandar”, “Dama Dam Mast Qalandar” and other timeless Sufi classics. Culinary delicacies from across the country tickled the taste buds of the city folk. From Idli Dosa from the South to Litti Chokha from Bihar, Daal Baati Churma from Rajasthan, Pav Bhaji from Mumbai and of course, a delicious thali from Punjab, there is everything to satiate your hunger pangs. Vanita, a visitor, said, “Nothing beats Daal Baati Churma as the real taste of it is found at this festival. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal as food was the best aspect of this festival.” Festival organisers Sunil Verma and Varun Verma said the festival aims to preserve and promote India’s musical and spiritual heritage. “Our aim is to preserve, promote and popularise India’s rich cultural heritage,” the duo said. The RUH festival is on till April 13 at the grounds of the Government College for Girls.
