Jharkhand’s colours and culture served as a confluence for the east and west traditions of India at one platform in Ahmedabad recently.

Organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Kalamandir, in Jamshedpur and Virasat Trust in Hazaribagh, the Jharkhand Festival with a tagline “Chalo Fariye Jharkhand Amdavadma” was a three-day affair from January 31 to February 2 at Natarani Amphitheatre in Ahmedabad’s Darpana Dance Academy.

This was the first Jharkhand Fest organised in Gujarat.

A team of more than 60 artists, social activists and experts from Jharkhand were a part of the festival.

From Jharkhandi food — jil peetha and dhuska — to painting demonstration and workshops on sohrai and pyatkar, the fest was a new experience for the Gujarati community.

“The idea was to know other states. Jharkhand is unexplored. We in Ahmedabad know about Maharashtra and even the Northeast but if you ask someone in Ahmedabad about Jharkhand, I wonder if you will get a reply despite the fact that the state is so rich in culture and has had its share of struggles to get its own identity. We not only did a lot of publicity for masses to walk in and experience the state culture but we also enjoyed researching about it,” said Priyakshi Agarwal, from the marketing and logistics department of Natarani Amphitheatre.

“The response was positive. For many it was a first-time experience. Even the participating artists were happy to have performed and participated in this unique three-day fest,” said Amitava Ghosh, co-convenor, Intach, Jharkhand.