Jayadeva Utsav: A two-day celebration of music and dance

The Sanchari Foundation will host the third edition of Jayadeva Utsav – 2025, a two-day festival focused on music and dance, centred around the Geeta Govinda, a work by the 12th-century poet Jayadeva. The event will take place on May 1 and 2, at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, starting at 7:00 PM.

The festival, co-produced by Poonam Das and Divya Das, will feature vocal and dance performances by several prominent Indian artists. Some of the performers include Sangita Panda (Vocal), Kavita Dwibedi (Odissi), Chithra Sukumaran (Mohiniyattam), Sangita Chatterjee (Kathak), Prashant Behera (Vocal), Ragini Chandershekar (Bharatnatyam), and Jyoti Shrivastava (Odissi).

A key moment of the event will be the presentation of the Jayadeva Samman to Sangeetacharya Guru Bankim Sethi, an Odissi musicologist and singer, in recognition of his work in Odissi music.

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The festival will be attended by several notable guests, including Sasmit Patra, Member of Parliament (BJD); Chetan Joshi, flutist and music composer; Wasifuddin Dagar, Dhrupad singer; DP Majhi, former Director of the Ambedkar Foundation; Akash Patil, Director, DAIC; and Vishal Gagan, IAS, Resident Commissioner of the Government of Odisha. Lord Jagannath will be the Chief Guest.

Festival Director Kavita Dwibedi, an Odissi dancer, said, “Jayadeva Utsav is a tribute to Jayadeva’s poetry and an opportunity to showcase traditional Indian art forms. We hope to offer a platform for artists to present their work based on the Geeta Govinda and to connect with audiences who appreciate these art forms.”

When: May 1 – 2; 7:00 PM

Where: Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi