Solidarity School of Culture organised a programme, “Colours of Life in Indian Culture”, on 26 July at Loksanskriti Bhavan, Sodepur. The aim of the programme was to highlight the positive values of Indian culture and motivate young talents of the performing and visual arts as well as the educational field to serve humanity in a creative way. The deputy consul general of Nepal, Surender Thapa; international classical dancer, Kalawati Devi; eminent writer and Sahitya Academy award recipient, Soma Bandopadhyay; and Shambhunath, formerly, director of the Central Hindi Institute and professor, Calcutta University, graced the occasion as guests of honour.

A collection of 16 paintings titled “Rainbow of Hope for Nepal” was presented to the deputy consul general by Shambhunath. The paintings were prepared by young artists from the Rhythm School of Fine Arts to convey good wishes to the people of Nepal, recovering from the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in April. The youngsters were inspired by the Solidarity School of Culture to think creatively and present an example of cultural integration through their works. The society, based in Sodepur, is working in field of research and education. The principal of the Rhythm School of Fine Arts, Dipankar Pal was felicitated on the occasion for supporting such a noble cause. The first president of the Solidarity School of Language and Socio-Cultural Relations, Soma Badopadhyay, received a lamp from Thapa as a way of marking the birth of the unit, which will work for cultural integration in at the national and international level.

One of the special events of the programme was the dance drama, Colours of Life in Indian Culture, presented by students of the Solidarity Dance Academy. The piece was directed by Nilanjana Sarkar, student of eminent international dancers Mamata Shankar and Kalawati Devi. In the dance drama, shadowgraphy was used in a unique form by presenting the feelings on screen while the same were physically expressed through dance. Ankush Das and Dibya Jyoti Chakraborty contributed to present this new form in their capacities as music composer and graphic designer.

The concept designer of the programme, Rakhi Roy Halder who is also the secretary of the Sodepur Solidarity Society, said that the positive values of Indian culture need to be highlighted through different art forms as a way to combat the various socio-cultural crises of the present era.