India’s diverse set of cultural beliefs and ways of life are defined by its iconic rivers and their mighty tributaries. They have sustained over ages and are awe-inspiring. To understand and celebrate this, Friends of India Society International (FISI), UK is delighted to organise a quarterly series of events called “BHARAT PARV” across the year lined along the major rivers of India namely Ganga, Narmada, Brahmaputra and Kaveri. The sequence will be as follows:
On 27th of March, the regional influence of river ‘Ganga’ will be explored that would include states of Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. River Ganga has a lot of reverence in the hearts of Indians seen more in people from these regions.
On 26th of June, the program will delve into the influence of river ‘Narmada’ that would entail states of Chattisgarh, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Odisha. Also, a sacred river, it is considered to be a mother of peace and its basin is home to India’s best teak and hardwood forests.
On 25th of September, the region encompassing the Brahmaputra basin will be covered that would include states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and West Bengal. This river is said to have a masculine character and its influence can be seen in culture, economy, food habits and the environment of this region. Each state in the region stands out in terms of its practices.
Last of these series will be on 18th of December where the cultural heritage of Kaveri basin region will be presented. This would include the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The richness of these regions is akin to the name of river Kaveri whose meaning is ‘one who brings abundance to where she flows’.
FISI is expecting widespread participation of Indian diaspora community groups, organisations and families in the United Kingdom for the Bharat parv festival. The team is busy preparing for their very first event which is on 27th of March and are reaching out and inviting the Indian diaspora community from the states of Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. They have also released some promotional videos from these regions including videos from the famous duo folk singers of Jammu, Roohi and Juhi Singh, and Balti singer, Sherine Fatima Balti. They are looking to invite some key personalities of Indian diaspora community in the UK as chief guests for these events also.
Bharat-parv, a year long festival, sounds like a delightful journey to celebrate and showcase the sanskruti of Bharat. There is a lot of excitement in the air as the first event is drawing closer. We too can’t wait to see this unity in diversity of Indian culture and traditions !
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Great occasion to celebrate our history and heritage