Celebrating ASEAN-India partnership, the 11th edition of the Delhi International Art Festival witnessed a special performance of a cultural group, which represented Bangladesh Shilpkala Academy, Dhaka at the closing ceremony of the cultural extravaganza here on Saturday. In an attempt to nourish the cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh, the festival, held at the Qutub Minar, presented myriad facets of Bangladesh’s art and culture. The performance presented a special group dance  by the troupe on the patriotic song “Ekti Bangladesh”. The dance was followed by Anjali Ghosh Durga’s rendition of the songs “Amar  gharkhany me biraj kore” and “Sona bhundo toi amare”.

The Bangladeshi artists, who were specially here to perform at the Delhi International Art Festival enthralled the audiences with their lively renditions. The stage echoed to beautiful melody as Samir Hossain presented his rendition of “Raat pohale pakhi” and “Dhonno Dhonno boli tare..” The other attractions of the closing gala of the DIAF were group dance performances on songs like “Mone More Meghar o shongi” and “Anjoli laho mor”.. The cultural delegation from Bangladesh performed a folk number on the song “Baja Khonjoni”.

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“DIAF is a people’s festival and has been supported for 11 years with love and affection by the people of India and other countries. India has a rich cultural heritage but still needs to extend it  to an international audience to become the culture capital of the world,” said Pratibha Prahlad, Founder Director, Delhi International Art Festival. “I sincerely believe that everyone should be touched by creative art forms. Art feeds the soul and reveals one’s true identity. It certainly makes every individual a better human being. I also thank ambassadors from different countries for taking part in this beautiful cultural ensemble.”

Being hosted by Prasiddha Foundation and Forum for Art, this multi-venue signature festival, held from 11-25 November, showcased an amalgamation of different cultural and artistic streams from distant corners of the world. Around 1,500 performing artists were drawn from 30 different countries that participated in the cultural exchange.

Apart from Bangladesh’s cultural delegation, artists from Indonesia, Phillipines and Vietnam also performed at the closing gala of this cultural exchange.