Shahpur singer to perform at River Festival in Delhi

Vikrant Bhandral a budding folk singer, who hails from Rait near Shahpur in Kangra district, has been selected for the ‘Fifth River Festival — A call to save the rivers’, being organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He is all set to mesmerise the audience with Himachali folk songs at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Delhi, on September 21.

Leaving for Delhi, he told The Tribune, “As this programme is dedicated to rivers, it is perfect to showcase our traditional folk. Majority of the songs popular in the state depict nature at its best. There is a specific mention of all the rivers flowing in our state, which are considered sacred from times immemorial.”

He has picked up songs like ‘Sayein-sayein mat kar Raviye’ and ‘Mayey ni meriye’, besides others, all of which are so close to nature, justifying the core theme of the event.

Vikrant, a postgraduate in classical vocal, was guided and mentored by Dr Janmay Guleria who nurtured him to excel in the field of singing. A recipient of Young Scholarship and Junior Fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, he has sung more than 30 songs.