Jakarta, July 4: Over 400 people attended the screening of powerful Indian classical dance drama 'Shiva Tandava' at the 47th Bali Art Festival in Indonesia, on Friday.

Organised by the Consulate General of India (CGI) and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in Bali in collaboration with Sangamam Global Academy, the event also saw attendance of several Indonesians, including top ministers.

Addressing the audience, Indian Consul General in Bali Shashank Vikram spoke about the significance of cultural exchanges and the legacy of traditional arts.

"With enthusiastic attendance of over 400 audience including government officials, academicians, members of Indian diaspora, artists, students, and business personalities, the programme concluded with the distribution of certificates of appreciation to all talented Indian troupes and Balinese artists performed that evening," the Consulate General of India in Bali posted on X.

The programme on Friday was inaugurated by the SVCC Director of SVCC, Naveen Meghwal, and graced by the presence of Padma Shri recipient I Wayan Dibia, representing the Bali Provincial Department of Culture.

The event was followed by the first performance, the energised and vibrant fusion of Kathak and Balinese dance 'Gaaye Jaa'. Following this, the most awaited collaboration of Bharatnatyam and Kathak dance was magnificently performed, leaving the audience deeply moved.

The 47th Bali Arts Festival at Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre in Denpasar was officially opened on June 21 by Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, representing Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The festival is scheduled to run until July 19.

"This is not only an annual agenda, but an important milestone in the journey of advancing culture in the country. Since it was first held in 1979, the Bali Arts Festival has become proof of Bali's consistency in maintaining its cultural ties," said Fadli.

India and Indonesia share millennia-old close cultural and commercial contacts. The Hindu, Buddhist, and later Muslim faiths travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The stories from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata form a source of Indonesian folk art and drama. The shared culture, colonial history, and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency, and independent foreign policy are unifying factors in the bilateral relationship. (IANS)

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