PUNE: Organized by Bhaashaa Foundation, a non-profit organization, in association with Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, the 5th Edition of the three-day ‘KathaYatra’ was an amalgamation of a series of programs filled with exciting activities woven around treasured stories through different art forms that took place from 1st to 3rd December at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. ‘Navonmesh – Celebrating Story of Rejuvenation’ was the signature concept of this year’s KathaYatra.
KathaYatra 2023 commenced with Padma Shri Ileana Citaristi’s Odissi performance unfolding the story of ‘Eklavya.’ Dr Sachchidanand Joshi; Head of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) along with Abhay Firodia; Chairman of the Board of Directors and Bhupal Pandit; Executive Chairman of the Bhandarkar Institute were among the dignitaries present at the inauguration. Other dignitaries like Swati Raje, Jaideep Raje, Ranjit Naiknavare, and Dr Savita Kelkar of the Bhaashaa Foundation were also present.
“It is our responsibility to cultivate the love for languages in the new generation. In today’s era dominated by mobiles and devices, writing pure language has become a problem. Consequently, automation has altered the beauty of languages,” asserted Dr Sachchidanand Joshi. He also shed light upon the artwork of the new Parliament Building and appreciated the work of the Ministry of Culture. He said that efforts have been taken to showcase India’s rich heritage and tradition through this artwork.
The second day (2nd December) of the KathaYatra was initiated with grandparents narrating stories and experiences in front of other senior citizens of their age. It was followed by a session on ‘50 Years of Project Tiger’ by IFS Tushar Chavan; Deputy Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, and Vinod Bartakke; Wildlife Photographer. Chavan shed light on the importance of ‘Project Tiger’ and how saving tigers would save forests in the long run.
The second day concluded with Retd. Wing Commander Laxman Karnik shares his thrilling experiences of the 1971 war including Commander Parag Tiwari, a member of the Indian Navy’s ‘Project 75’ sharing information about beach security. Naveen Ahlawat; Commandant of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) S & C Department, informed the audience about the construction of roads in the border and remote areas of the country.
The third day (3rd December) commenced with Dr Ravindra Borawake’s session on ‘Digitization of Ellora Caves’ followed by Dr Bharat Kelkar’s ‘Medicines Across Borders’ in which he talked about providing medical facilities in war-prone areas like Syria (2014), Yemen (2016) and Iraq (2018). After that, Rear Admiral Ashish Kulkarni and Commodore M Dorai Babu shared the unique history of sailing, sea trades, ports, docks, and shipbuilding from ancient India.
Mohan Shete spoke about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s foresight regarding building forts around in and around water bodies. Then, Lieutenant Col. Roshan Chavan addressed the audience about the history and the achievements of the ‘Bands’ so far. The three-day festival concluded with the performance of a 200-year-old army band by the Bombay Engineering Group, in which Punekars witnessed their rhythmic and melodious live renditions.
