Qais
LucknowPulse managed and marketed the 6-day fest “Begum: Festival of Traditional Colours” organized by Asma Hasan’s POSH and Salempur House. It was a Culture, Heritage, Art, and Literature Fest with a food court and shopping exhibition on the sidelines. Held at Salempur House, Qaisar Bagh from 25th March to 30th March 2022, the first season was appreciated by all those who attended it. Here’s a detailed day-wise report.
- Day 1: 25th March 2022
Begum: Festival of Traditional Colours – organized by Asma Hasan’s POSH, Salempur Estate, and LucknowPulse – was inaugurated on 25th March by Raja Sayyed Taqi Hasan and Rani Nuzhat Hasan by planting a sapling to raise awareness about the environmental and ecological concerns.
A memorial talk on Begum Hazrat Mahal was delivered by Prof. Sabra Habib.
- Day 2: 26th March 2022
The second day of the festival started with Children’s Sketch n Draw contest where children from the age-group 5-9 years and 10-15 years participated in sketching and drawing contests. It was followed by an Art and Embroidery Workshop by Zainab Rahman. Kids listened and watched Zainab in rapt attention with an inquisitive bend to learn to use needles and threads artistically. The objective of this workshop was to sensitize young children to such forms of art that might die or vanish when they disappear from the households in Lucknow or the entire Awadhi region. Hand-embroidery is one such rare skill. The evening culminated with the highlight of the evening – The Talk on Qurratul-Ain Haider by Prof. Fatima Rizvi. As Dr. Rizvi started speaking about the celebrated writer, it appeared that the allocated duration was just enough to scratch the surface of the knowledge she could share with the audience.
Short Films on Lucknow were screened on each day of the festival. These films from Lucknow Film Club were based on various interesting topics such as Lakhnawi tehzeeb, chikankari, patangbaazi, baitbaazi, bhaands, bada mangal, and so on. Lucknow Film Club is dedicated to furthering the cause of film-making by supporting the young and budding actors, filmmakers, and other talents associated with film-making. Conceptualized and promoted by Mr. Tariq Khan, the group aims to gather more and more like-minded people under the LFC umbrella.
- Day 3: 27th March 2022
The main attraction for Sunday 27th March 2022 was the Begum Awards that were to be bestowed upon the 5 women achievers from Lucknow. The evening started with Open Mic for children. Little performers took the stage for storytelling, singing, dancing, and reciting their favorite poems on a range of topics like Grandpa, hygiene, etiquette, patriotism, spirituality, fatherhood, and imagination.
Take a look here:
Children’s Open Mic event was followed by the welcoming and felicitation of the five awardees – Dr. Kamla Srivastava (Folk Singing), Dr. Sabra Habib (Academic Excellence), Ms. Meenu Khare (Radio Broadcasting), Ms. Asma Husain (Fashion Design), and Ms. Madhavi Kuckreja (Social Activism).
At the request of the audience, Dr. Kamla Srivastava sang a few couplets from Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ghazal – Lagta nahi hai jee is ujde dayaar mein
- Day 4: 28th March 2022
On 28th March 2022, which was the 4th day of the Begum Festival, Music Fest was organized to celebrate the Begum Akhtar night. With the start given by a young performer Fatima Meerza, who played some popular Bollywood numbers on a synthesizer, the right mood was set for the memorial talk on Begum Akhtar by Prof. Meenu Khare and Dr. Sabra Habib. This talk became very interesting when Prof. Sabra Habib shared anecdotes from her personal interactions with the legendary Begum Akhtar. The evening couldn’t have been completed without a musical tribute to the singing maestro. Dr. Prabha Srivastava, a medical doctor at the Command Hospital performed with her team. The thumri, ghazals, and songs filled the air with musical notes and it was sheer bliss for the audience.
- Day 5: 29th March 2022
Meena is an inspiration for many. She was attacked with acid by her husband a decade ago but didn’t let the incident deter her. A mother of three children, she displayed immense courage and grit. She works with under-trial women at the Lucknow jail and helps them receive skill training.
Meena is associated with a social organisation that supports and uplifts women, and was a guest speaker at Josh talks.
- Day 5: 29th March 2022
Day 5 was meant to give the stage to the emerging youth talent in Urdu and Hindi poetry. The evening became star-studded with Radio Mirchi’s RJ Prateek and RJ Tashi who read out some of their choicest collections and creations to open the event. RJ Prateek hosted a talk with Yoga Facilitator Aanurag Singh who, in a short session, gave insightful hints on energizing yourself with positivity.
The fifth day was scheduled to end with a memorial talk on a towering personality who not was a people’s leader but also brought about a sort of education revolution in Uttar Pradesh with her special focus on women and adult education. The talk on Rani Swaroop Kumari Bakshi by Dr. Amita Dubey was blessed by the presence of Smt. Usha Malviya – the daughter of Bakshi Didi. Usha Malviya Ji recited a poem on the Sufi saint of Dewa Sharif – Hazrat Waris Ali Shah. This poem was composed by Bakshi Didi – an epitome of Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb.
- Day 6 i.e. 30th March 2022
On 30th March 2022, the 6-day festival reached its last day. The evening began with LFC’s Short Film Screening. A poetry performance was delivered by Writer and Poet P. Shandilya. It was followed by a talk on Begum Hamida Habibullah by Mrs Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah and Mr Amar Habibullah. The evening culminated with certificates and honors for performers and volunteers and a vote of thanks delivered by the convener of Begum Festival – Mr. Rushdi Hasan of Salempur House.
Food Court: The food court was active throughout the festival serving veg and non-veg delicacies, tea, coffee, snacks, ice-creams, paan, etc for the visitors.
Shopping Exhibition: The shopping exhibition included several stalls in the categories such as Home Décor, Women’s wear, and Lifestyle accessories.
Begum: Festival of Traditional colors was curated and organized by Asma Hasan’s POSH and Salempur House. The event was managed and marketed by LucknowPulse.com. Begum Festival’s Live feeds, reels, videos, and pictures can be seen on Instagram: @lucknowpulse
