Samskriti – The Cultural Wing of Amritapuri Campus

Festival Celebrations

India abounds in festivals. They are the fabric that binds our society together creating a happy and harmonious ambience. All the festivals are imbued with social, religious and spiritual messages which are meant to foster virtues such as self-control, purity and devotion. Festival celebration has a profound meaning: when we participate in festival activities with our families and friends, we can experience the real taste of celebration as a community in joy, harmony and unity. Only then we can learn to enjoy in any kinds of life situations. This is the true meaning of celebration. Fostering relationships are the essence of any festivity and it holds true for all Indian festivals. Each occasion brings families and friends together in a celebration of love, joy, harmony and unity, through various spiritual rituals, traditional customs, art forms and festive food.

The Beginning: Natyashastra

The Indian dramatic art is called Natya. Shastra is the term accepted in Indian tradition for the holy writ dedicated to a particular field of knowledge. Natyashastra is a work by sage Bharata Muni. It is the oldest surviving text on performing art in the world and is believed to have been written between 200BC and 200AD. Natyashastra is incredibly wide in its scope. It covers theatre, dance, music and every aspect of stage craft. Especially important for Indian classical musicians, it is the only text which gives such detail about music and instruments of the period. Thus, Natyashastra is regarded as the foundation of the fine arts in India.

Starting from the rich source of Natyashastra, Indian arts have been growing in far-reaching dimensions influenced by many cultures in a globalized environment. Samskriti is dedicated to supporting our students in discovering their artistic talents and reviving Indian arts in all possible ways.