Scintillating Climax To Krishnakriti Festivities

HYDERABAD, JANUARY 8, 2018: Curtains came down on the 'Krishnakriti Art and Cultural Festival-2018' on a scintillating note here late Sunday night.

The festival, organised by Kalakriti Art Gallery and Lahoti Foundation in collaboration with Bonjour India Festival, was a rejuvenating artistic start to 2018 that was made more refreshing by the galaxy of exponents that was in town to perform and entertain.

The standout performances came from Hyleen Jazz and her acclaimed band from Cannes and Rajasthan folk singer Mukhtiyar Ali, whose live shows had the audience asking for more.

The song writer and singer Hyleen enlivened the night when she, along with Julien Boursin on keyboard and Moog Bass and Nicolas Viccaro on drums and EFX, came up with lilting music that was a melange of soul, funk, neo-soul, pop with a dash of jazz and rich harmonies. Captured by the enthusiasm of the crowd and apparently touching a musical high, they performed compositions that are from their ensuing album ‘BSIDE’.

Mukhtiyar Ali, who belongs to the semi-nomadic community of Mirasis that is pre-dominant in Bikaner, stole the show with some livewire and mellifluous melodies that included compositions inspired by the poetic gems of Kabir, Mira and Sufi poets like Bulleh Shah.

The settings were so perfectly executed that one could go into a trance with the picturesque locale, the soothing climate and the magnificent performances. The ambience and the brilliant illumination at Qutub Shahi Tombs was an artistic ode to the night.

Earlier in the day, an enthusiastic team of men and women were treated to an exclusive guide tour of Hill Fort Palace in Bashirbagh. The royal richness and the artistic tastes around the architectural marvel bowled the crowd over.

In a touching thanksgiving speech, the brain behind this unique presentation, Prashant Lahoti, reaffirmed to make the next one bigger and more spectacular. He pointed that 'Krishnakriti Art and Cultural Festival' was dedicated to the memory of his father,Krishnachandra Lal B Lahoti, who had taught him human values and inspired him to understand, recognise, adore and promote arts of diverse genres, which was precisely what he and his dedicated team were striving to accomplish for the past 15 years.

He said that a festival of this magnitude could be kept going only because of the vibrant support extended by Telangana Tourism, and the initiative of Tourism Secretary Mr B Venkatesham.

“I am also very proud that the festival has been recognised as a partner of Bonjour India Festival. It is a matter of personal joy to each of us that we were able to achieve an International Profile. This has also added to our responsibility. We reiterate that this would boost our morale as we plan a bigger show, next time around,” was the parting shot of Prashant Lahoti.