By — Dilip Guha

Kalidas ka Katha Lok unfolded as a thoughtfully curated cultural gathering at Purana Qila, New Delhi, on 7 and 8 February 2026. Organised by Samay Yaan in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), the festival invited visitors to step into ancient India not as a closed chapter of the past, but as a living civilisation whose ideas and values continue to shape the present.

At the heart of the festival was Samay Yaan, founded by Justice (Retd.) S. N. Dhingra, which has steadily grown into a dynamic cultural space for readers, scholars, and heritage enthusiasts. Operating from R. K. Puram, in New Delhi, the initiative curates a rich reference library and diverse cultural programmes that animate India’s literary traditions and foster meaningful engagement with the nation’s intellectual legacy.

Set within the historic precincts of Purana Qila, one of Delhi’s most significant archaeological sites, Kalidas ka Katha Lok gained added resonance by embedding its exploration of civilisation within a tangible historical landscape. The festival was supported by leading cultural institutions, including the IGNCA, the National School of Drama (NSD), and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Anchored in the theme “Kalidas and His India,” the festival drew inspiration from the era of Mahakavi Kalidas, nearly two millennia ago, to explore India’s philosophical depth, artistic refinement, social organisation, and cultural confidence. Rather than adhering to rigid historical timelines, the festival approached Kalidas’s time as a civilisational moment—one whose values and sensibilities continue to shape India’s creative and intellectual life.

Conceived as a form of cultural time travel, Kalidas ka Katha Lok brought together scholarship, storytelling, performance, and immersive, hands-on experiences to make India’s past accessible and engaging, particularly for younger audiences. The initiative maintained a non-political, inclusive, and intellectually rigorous approach, encouraging curiosity and dialogue without ideological framing.

Speaking about the vision behind the festival, Justice (Retd.) S. N. Dhingra, Chairman of Samay Yaan, said that Kalidas ka Kathalok was an effort to take ancient India beyond textbooks and transform it into a lived experience. He noted that the festival sought not to recreate history as spectacle, but to open a space where stories, ideas, and emotions from two thousand years ago could be felt again through performance, craft, music, and conversation—allowing audiences to connect with the vibrant Bharat of Kalidas’s era.

Echoing this sentiment, Ms Bharti Dhingra, Project Head of Katha Lok, described the festival as an exercise in listening to stories, to spaces, and to the enduring questions that ancient India explored, including love, power, nature, and society. She described the festival as a deliberate exercise in listening—listening to stories preserved in classical texts and oral traditions, to the historical spaces that have witnessed centuries of human activity, and to the enduring questions that ancient India grappled with, such as love, power, nature, duty, and social relationships. These themes, central to the works of Kalidas, were explored not as abstract ideas but as lived human experiences that continue to resonate across time.

Ms Dhingra emphasised that Kalidas ka Kathalok does not seek to impose fixed interpretations of history or literature. Instead, it creates an open, contemplative environment where audiences are encouraged to reflect, question, and engage in dialogue with the past on their own terms. By embedding performances, conversations, and sensory experiences within the historic landscape of Purana Qila, the festival enabled visitors to physically walk through layers of history while forming emotional connections with it—allowing the past to be experienced as something immediate, intimate, and alive rather than remote or academic. she said said, “This festival is built around listening to stories, to places, and to the questions ancient India was curious about: love, power, nature, and society. Kalidas ka Kathaalok does not tell audiences what to think about the past. Instead, it creates the atmosphere that allows reflection and dialogue. By setting these experiences within Purana Qila, we invite visitors to move through history physically and emotionally, making the past feel present rather than distant.”

The Kalidasa Bands: A Celebration of Music and Innovation

On this occasion, the Kalidasa Bands musical competition brought together young talent from across Delhi, reimagining Indian classical and folk traditions through the lens of contemporary instruments. The event showcased the creativity and energy of college bands, each offering a fresh interpretation of India’s rich musical heritage.

The distinguished jury featured Shri Aman Nath, renowned composer, and Shri Rakesh Bhardwaj, celebrated member of the iconic band Euphoria. Their presence added gravitas and encouragement to the spirited performances.

The participating teams included Naksha, a six-member ensemble; Nirgun Naad (from Manzil Mystic); Mantarang (from Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College); and Raagdhara (from Santosh Medical College). In addition, Musical Mavericks from GS University performed as a special non-competitive act. Together, these groups transformed the stage into a vibrant space where tradition met innovation, underscoring the timeless appeal of Indian music in contemporary forms. The competition highlighted the fusion of tradition and modernity, as young performers brought fresh energy to India’s musical heritage.

The Nirgun Naad Band from Manzil Mystics participated in Kalidas ka Katha Lok, offering a soulful musical performance deeply rooted in India’s literary and spiritual traditions. Manzil Mystics engages with schools and community spaces to deliver sustained music education, emphasising accessibility and meaningful learning experiences for children and young people.

Speaking at the event, Priyanka, a member of the band and a Learning Through Music (LTM) Fellow with Manzil Mystics, shared that the organisation conducts weekly music sessions in schools and communities. At the festival, the group presented a Kabir bhajan, “Ghat Ghat Mein Panchhi Bolta Hai,” which explores inner consciousness. She explained that in the composition, “ghat” represents the human body, while “panchhi” symbolises consciousness, conveying Kabir’s message that emotions such as joy and sorrow originate from within. Their exceptional rendition earned them the first position in the competition, a recognition of both their artistry and their commitment to carrying forward India’s spiritual and musical heritage.

Reflecting on the festival, Priyanka said Kalidas ka Katha Lok offered an important platform to engage with the works of Kalidas alongside other literary figures, describing the initiative as a meaningful effort to promote Indian Sahitya. She added that the opportunity to be part of the programme was both enriching and memorable for the entire team. The team,  Raagdhara and Naksha, stood second and third in the competition.

Mahakavi Kalidas – A Play by NSD

The National School of Drama (NSD) presented a specially curated theatrical production on the life and works of Mahakavi Kalidas as part of Kalidas ka Katha Lok. Designed and directed by Shri Ramji Bali, the production featured sixteen theatre artists and offered a cohesive exploration of Kalidas’s literary and philosophical legacy.

Structured as a three-act play, the production wove together legend and selected classical texts to create a unified theatrical narrative. The first act traced Kalidas’s early life, drawing from the popular legend of his marriage to Rani Vidyotama and his transformative journey from ignorance to enlightenment—marking his emergence as one of India’s greatest poets.

The second act presented a condensed adaptation of Abhijnanashakuntalam, focusing on its central themes of love, memory, and destiny. The third act featured a brief rendition of Vikramorvashiyam, highlighting the tension between human desire and divine order.

Through its carefully structured format, the play sought to make Kalidas’s life and seminal works accessible to contemporary audiences, while remaining rooted in their classical spirit and aesthetic depth.

The festival Kalidas ki katha lok’s experiential spaces allowed audiences to engage hands-on with civilisational practices that once shaped Indian society. Visitors explored traditional attar-making techniques, played ancient Indian board games, rediscovered forgotten culinary traditions, and even had their names written in Brahmi script calligraphy—bridging centuries through touch, scent, and script.

Ms Vidula from Khol Khel shared that through the Open Play initiative, they are creating play experiences rooted in ancient Indian play practices, intending to bring people together.

Khol Khel has revived nearly 75 ancient Indian board games, many of which are recognised under the National Education Program (NEP) 2020 as valuable play practices for children. Khol Khel demonstrates how play supports social-emotional learning, cognitive development, and intergenerational connection. These games have been categorised to demonstrate their role in social-emotional learning and cognitive development for both children and adults. She also noted that such games help bridge the gap between younger and older generations, and reflect a shared vision of integrating traditional modes of play—rooted in Indian Knowledge Systems—into our education system. Kalidas worked with emotion, memory, and the inner life—making the simplest human moments feel timeless.

She reflected that presenting these games at a festival on Kalidas felt natural, as both his poetry and their play arise from the same source—emotion, memory, and the quiet intelligence of Indian tradition, still alive and relevant today.

She said, “At Khol Khel, our work with Buddhi Yog and Buddhi Bal comes from the same place: seeing play as a way to understand ourselves.

Presenting ancient Indian games at a festival on Kalidas felt natural—his poetry and our play both hold the quiet intelligence of Indian tradition, still alive, still relevant.”

Complementing these experiences are curated scholarly dialogues led by eminent historians, scholars, and thinkers. Topics range from ancient Indian trade routes and economic systems to the intersections of science, philosophy, and aesthetics, as well as traditions of governance and social organisation. Designed to be rigorous yet accessible, these sessions invite audiences to reflect on how civilisational ideas endure and evolve.

Taal Yudh:  A battle of Indian percussions where Pakhawaj speat to Tabla and Ghatam matched the rhythm with Mridangam also enthralled the audience. Main artists of the event were:   Ghatam – Sh. Varun Rajasekharan, Mridangam – Sh.ManoharBalatchandirane,  Tabla – Sh. Zargham Akram Khan, Dholak – Sh. Mahavir Chandrawat, Flute – Sh. Ravinder Rajput, and Sitar – Sh. Soumendra Goswami.

Unheard stories from the times of Kalidas
Qissa Hunkara, QissaBetal, SinhasanBattisi, Maliva-Agnimitram, presented respectively by Priyanka Sharma and Manu Sikander Dhingra, Bharti Dixit and Abhinav Chaturvedi, ‘nanne’.

A two-day cultural festival brought together eminent voices from diverse fields. The distinguished speakers included Sushri Neera Mishra, Founder of the Draupadi Dream Trust; Shri Balbir Punj, author, journalist, and former Member of the Rajya Sabha; Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi, Member of Parliament; Dr Ranjana Aggarwal, former Director of CSIR; and Capt. Praveen Chaturvedi, filmmaker and Founder of Prachyam.

Their participation added depth and perspective to the festival, which aimed to highlight India’s cultural heritage and contemporary thought.

Festival Concludes with Musical Showcase ‘Sur Samay Yaan’

The two-day festival concluded with Sur Samay Yaan, a magnificent musical presentation featuring thirty artists. The performance traced the evolution of Indian music from its origins to contemporary expressions across classical and folk traditions.

The presentation was inaugurated by Shri K. Satish Nambudiripad, Director General of Doordarshan, and was conceived and narrated by Pandit Abhay Rustum Sopori. The finale offered audiences a panoramic journey through India’s musical heritage, seamlessly blending tradition with innovation.