AMI Arts Festival 2025 Brought Back the 4th Edition of UTSAV

News Desk, News Nation 360 : Richa Agarwal, Chairperson of KCC, expressed her enthusiasm, stated that the Kolkata Centre for Creativity is excited to expand its collaboration with the iconic Victoria Memorial Hall for this year's UTSAV. It is her privilege to bring young performers to a platform that represents their city's cultural past. She hopes that collaborations like this will help generate additional possibilities for emerging artists, allowing them to learn, shine, and assume their appropriate position in the wider narrative of Indian arts. This year, they picked 21 excellent performances from an All-India Open Call to which over 200 individuals applied, spanning dance, music, and elocution. Every young performer here demonstrates focus, effort, and the undeniable potential of a bright new generation in the arts. On 4th December, the inauguration commenced with Taal Tarang, a captivating performance by the students of Manovikas Kendra, followed by the first set of performances by the UTSAV awardees. The event was attended by the eminent jury members and distinguished guests - Priti Patel, Manipuri dancer, Alokananda Roy, exponent of Indian classical dance, Pandit Anindya Banerjee, Sarod maestro and musicologist, Sudarshan

Chakravorty - artistic director and dance choreographer, Saswati Guhathakurta - actress, Bratati Bandopadhyay - elocutionist, Arnab Bandopadhyay - classical dancer and choreographer, Arkadev Bhattacharya - bharatnatyam dancer, Srikanta Acharya - singer-songwriter and music director, and Koushik Chakraborty - singer-songwriter, vocalist of Bengali band Prithibi. Victoria Memorial Hall, in association with Kolkata Centre for Creativity, inaugurated UTSAV IV on the South Lawns of VMH as part of KCC's annual AMI Arts Festival 2025, supported by Emami Foundation. To be held from December 4-6, 2025, UTSAV is a platform for emerging performing artists in the age group of 12-25 years and will present 21 selected solo and group performances in dance, music, and elocution selected through an All-India Open Call, which received more than 200 applications. The festival kicked off with Taal Tarang by the students of Manovikas Kendra, followed by awardee performances by winners selected by experts such as dancer Priti Patel, sarod player Pandit Anindya Banerjee, and vocalist Srikanta Acharya. KCC Chairperson Richa Agarwal spoke about the collaboration that brings young talent to the historic VMH stage. UTSAV bridges practice and audience, celebrating diversity across forms within the larger AMI Arts Festival, running from November 21-December 21, featuring exhibitions, talks, and workshops, among others.

Pic - Krishnendu Kundu