Ahmedabad: The historic monuments of the Walled City will come alive with music, theatre, folk traditions, poetry and visual arts. On Nov 19 and 25, two festivals will celebrate the city’s architectural and cultural legacy during Unesco World Heritage Week.The festivals, supported by AMC, will be held at the Bhadra precinct and three historic stepwells. They will use heritage structures as venues to reconnect audiences with the city’s rich past. The Bhadra Festival on Nov 19 will mark the return of a cultural celebration to the historic precinct after 12 years. Beginning at 4pm, performances will be spread across Bhadra Fort, the Premabhai Hall precinct and Bhadra Plaza, culminating in a musical concert at Teen Darwaza at 7.15 pm.“Set against the historical backdrop of monuments in the Unesco-recognised Walled City of Ahmedabad, the festivals celebrate the richness and diversity of India’s cultural heritage through classical music, poetry, classical dance, theatre, storytelling, folk traditions and visual arts,” Birwa Qureshi, founder of a cultural organisation, said on Tuesday.The Bhadra Festival is returning after its first edition in 2014, she said.The programme will bring together traditional art forms such as nagara, Ravanhatta, Siddi dhamal, mallakhamb and natya sangeet, alongside puppet theatre, storytelling and Gujarati folk narratives. Projection mapping on Bhadra Fort and a visual presentation inspired by Mata ni Pachedi will add contemporary artistic elements to the setting.Three exhibitions will offer glimpses into the precinct’s past, including archival photographs documenting Bhadra’s history, an exhibition tracing Gujarati theatre’s living archives and outdoor photographs capturing the monument from different perspectives.The second festival, Water Heritage Series, on Nov 25 will celebrate Ahmedabad’s historic stepwells through performances from dawn to dusk. A Hindustani classical vocal recital will be held at Jethabhai Ni Vav at 6.30am, followed by poetry and Bharatanatyam at Amrutvarshini Vav at 11 am. Dada Harir Ni Vav will host the musical finale at 7pm.Entry to both festivals will be free, with prior registration required for select performances. Seating at the stepwells will be limited.
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