LalitArpan Festival 2025: Stories of resilience to be narrated through pirouettes of Kathak in Delhi

Published on: Oct 08, 2025 07:00 AM IST

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Kathak recitals by cancer survivors and heart-wrenching tales of acid attack victims will celebrate human spirit at this event in Delhi's India Habitat Centre.

She was 26, when she received the news of her father’s death in a train accident. “I had to identify the body, get the post-mortem done, and perform the last rites. Three days later, I took to stage to perform at a festival in Mathura. My heart was crying, but I was dancing,” recounts Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan, vividly describing how her devotion to dance drives her spirit to keep going. With the same determination, she has chosen the theme of this year’s LalitArpan Festival as Antah-Shakti: Courage and Hope.

Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan has curated LalitArpan Festival 2025 in the theme of Antah-Shakti: Courage and Hope.

The opening dance piece, Agnipankh will bring out real-life stories of an autistic pianist, a transgender person and an acid attack survivor. - Shovana Narayan, Kathak exponent

This theme is evident in how the 24th edition of this fest has been curated; with a line-up of artistes who perform pirouettes on stage with poise and exhibit immense resilience off it. “Dance gives you the power to move ahead because whenever I dance, I only dance for God,” says Kathak danseuse Nrityashree Alaknanda, a cancer survivor, who will present her choreography on Rabindranath Tagore’s Ekla Cholo Re, on day one.

Kathak dancers Nrityashree Alaknanda and Akshobhya Bhardwaj are cancer survivors whose resilience is an inspiration for many.

The second day will witness yet another exploration of the power of dance as Kathak dancer and cancer survivor Akshobhya Bhardwaj will present, Paryaka. “This is the story of a person who understands that he is a woman, from inside. People tell him different things, but he stabilises himself through dance and music,” says Akshobhya, who is still fighting cancer. “Dance is sadhna for me... Whenever I’m undergoing a surgery or therapy, I try to understand that my body is facing this pain but my soul isn’t because it’s in sadhna,” he adds.

“Not many know but the doctors had initially given Akshobhya a time of three months to live. It’s been three years since... That’s the power of classical dance,” adds Narayan.