Over 1,000 throng Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan on Day 1, crowd doubles on Day 2
A bit smaller than expected, music festival pandal housed most gathering, while many visitors roamed outside, ate chaat and clicked selfies
Making up for the day one of the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, the pandal filled to the brim on day two of the music festival, so much that some savoured music standing due to lack of space. Over 1,000 visitors turned up on day one of the sammelan on Friday.
Done up with pink and green floral motifs, mirror work amidst the stage backdrop glistened with lights as artistes engaged audience in classical treats. A bit smaller than expected, the pandal housed most gathering, while many visitors roamed outside, ate chaat and clicked selfies.
The 150th Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, which is dedicated to the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and also to Benares Gharana vocalist Pt Chhannulal Mishra, saw packed pandals at the front and relatively sparse crowds at the back. The people thronged food stalls, which ushered in visitors at the entrance, to beat the chill.
The pandal, which is still visibly smaller than pre-Covid years’ sprawling set ups, however saw loyal audiences who sat until the last note was struck on the Harivallabh stage. Members of the Gurmukh Sewa Dal, keepers of the people’s joras (footwear) at the festival, informed that the sammelan witnessed the presence of over 1,000 visitors on the first day. Some visitors frequented front seat rows at the sammelan, where removing footwear wasn’t necessary.
Audience from different places were also present at the sammelan. Lal Singh, an NRI, cancelled a flight to attend Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan. He said, “My sons have gone back abroad, but I stayed here for the festival. I didn’t want to miss the 150th sammelan. We have grown up watching it and didn’t want to miss it this year.” An elderly couple from Karnataka also come all the way to Punjab just to attend the festival. Notably, in the Covid and post-Covid years Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan has been held amidst social distancing norms and sparse gatherings.
Mattress-style seating arrangements
The Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan is held at Shree Devi Talab Mandir. The festival was founded by Baba Harivallabh, a revered saint. Artistes preforming at festival sing to the Gods. The sammelan has mattress-style seating arrangements where shoes aren’t permitted in pandal. The Gurmukh Sewa Dal, a group rendering “Jora Sewa” at gurdwaras, has been taking care of visitors’ footwear at the sammelan for the past many decades. Shoes are kept in a couponed gurdwara style setting in show racks. The selfless service of the group allows thousands to attend the sammelan without worrying for their footwear. Members of the sewa dal, who are among the last to leave, hear hundreds of hours of classical recitals. They are classical music connoisseurs themselves.
