By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Hundreds of Russians packed the Mir Cinema-Concert Hall here Wednesday night to cheer the special Independence Day concert during the ongoing ‘Days of Indian Culture’ festival, organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNCC) and the Russian Ethnolife Centre from Aug 8 to 22.
Sitar virtuoso Meera Prasad, a Rajasthani folk dance company and a Manipuri traditional martial arts group kept the audience spellbound and led the organisers to wax eloquent about the commonalities between Indian and Russian cultures.
This is the sixth festival of Indian culture in Moscow, and “it attracts bigger and bigger audiences each year,” according to Georgy Aistov, the festival’s general producer. Last year, some 6,000 Russians attended the various events. There is a plan to add classical Indian dances next year.
Meera Prasad was also sure that both the artistes and the audience had enjoyed her first concert in Moscow. “It was not difficult at all to play for the Russian public,” she said. “I’ve never played for Muscovites before, for such a huge, warm, friendly and responsive public.”
Ramesh Chandra, the Indian Embassy’s Counsellor (Culture), pointed out that it was just the same when Russian performers went to India, there was a full house every time. He was looking forward to the Year of Russia in India, scheduled in 2009.