Uttarakhand: Utsav Group, born of Kedarnath disaster, building a harmonious society – Dr Rakesh Bhatt

The two-day celebrations are being organized by Om Prakash Semwal and Utsav Group Board of Directors which includes Utsav Group Director Dr Rakesh Bhatt and Dr Jayant Prasad Nawani. Read further on Dynamite News

Post Published By: DN Bureau

Updated : 21 April 2025, 2:17 PM IST

Dr Rakesh Bhatt Dir Utsav Group talks to Dynamite News

Dehradun: 'Utsav Rangyatra', dedicated to the folk culture and arts of Uttarakhand, completes ten years of its existence. To mark this occasion, a two-day grand Foundation Day celebrations are being hosted at Shikshankur The Global School here in Dehradun on Saturday and Sunday, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

The two-day celebrations are being organized by Om Prakash Semwal and Utsav Group Board of Directors which includes Utsav Group Director Dr Rakesh Bhatt and Director of Shikshankur The Global School Dr Jayant Prasad Nawani.

Dr Rakesh Bhatt, Director of Utsav Group, during an exclusive conversation with Dynamite News described the 10-year long tremendous journey of Utsav Group. He highlighted the various activities of Utsav Group which include theatre, drama, folk festivals and current issues related to folk.

A performance by Utsav Group artists

Dr Rakesh Bhatt has been conferred upon the Sangeet Natak Academy Award by the Presidentn of India. Besides Dr Bhatt has been honoured with many other decorations for his immense contribution to theatre and other folk arts.

Dr Rakesh Bhatt further said that in fact, theatre stands to fight against problems and provide a solution.

"Theatre is our instrument to pinpoint the deficiencies in the government system and try to overcome them...The theatre is indeed meant for the creation of a good society," added Dr Bhatt.

• Dr Rakesh Bhatt said that 'Utsav' is an acronym which means 'Uttarakhand Theatrical Socio And Visualization'. All the visual arts, performances, folk dances, folk songs of Uttarakhand are our heritage. We work for their documentation, research and performance under Utsav.
• Further describing the story of Utsav Group, Dr Bhatt said that Kedarnath disaster occurred in 2013. This disaster was not only of Uttarakhand, but of the whole country. The disaster enveloped the Nation, particularly the Uttarakhand, with shock, despair, grief, sorrow and misery.
• Dr Bhatt said that families after families were wiped out. Houses after houses, markets and of course people including tourists were reduced to dummies and were flowed away by mud and water.
• The whole Kedarnath region turned into a ghost town and whatever small number of people had survived, they had lost their will to live.
• He said that after this disaster, we thought that our cultural consciousness through the theatre, could be a befitting medium to encourage people who have become disheartened due to the disaster. Therefore, we established this Utsav Group in April 2014 to awaken our sleeping consciousness.
• Through Utsav Group we try to encourage people to abandon the 'western attitude' and return to our Indian values, to the values ​​of our Uttarakhand, said Dr Bhatt.
• Dr Bhatt lauded the people of Uttarakhand and said that they know how to live even in adverse circumstances. We know how to raise our heads in every situation.
• The Kedarnath disaster was a very big disaster but after that disaster we have again taken forward the cultural, social and political consciousness.