Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Oct: The second day of the historic Virasat Festival, being held at ONGC’s Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium, turned out to be a special, vibrant, and memorable one. The Vintage Car and Two-Wheeler Rally, organized as part of the festival, showcased vehicles that were more than seven decades old, leaving the audience fascinated. These rare and precious vintage vehicles became the highlight of the day, spreading charm and nostalgia all around.
The rally was flagged off by Tehri MP Mala Rajyalaxmi Shah, who appreciated the event and shared her thoughts before the inauguration. She said that India’s musical and cultural heritage, showcased through events like Virasat, is truly world-renowned. She praised REACH Foundation for continuously organizing the Virasat Festival for over three decades, calling their dedication “commendable and inspiring.” MP Shah emphasized that such festivals should continue, as they keep India’s diverse culture and traditions alive. She added, “Be it the culture of Uttarakhand or any other part of our country, our diverse heritage enhances India’s pride across the world, and that is something we should all be proud of.”
Vintage Car and Two-Wheeler Rally steals the show
The Vintage Car Rally, organized to celebrate India’s historical heritage, featured around 60 two-wheelers and 30 vintage cars that took participants and visitors on a nostalgic journey.
Among the vehicles, the Plymouth 1954 model-originally owned by Lt Governor of Delhi AM Jha, later by Lt Col Gurbachan Singh, and now by Dr S Farooq, Chairman, Himalaya Drug Company-was a major attraction.
Another highlight was a USJ 8577 Jeep (1948 model) currently owned by Sagheer Ahmed, and a Ford USA 1928 model (350cc petrol car), once owned by ACP Gurudutt Bhardwaj of New Delhi and now also part of Dr. Farooq’s collection.
Adding to the charm was a rare pre-independence-era bicycle with one large and one small wheel, which drew a lot of curiosity and attention. The 1972 private van (UP 07 K-9034) also turned heads. The rally featured several vintage two-wheelers such as Lambretta, Vespa, Vijay Super, Luna, Yezdi, Bullet, and old Bajaj scooters, racing down memory lane. A huge crowd gathered to witness and photograph these vintage beauties.
Renu Bala’s Garhwali songs made the audience dance with joy
The evening cultural program began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by traditional Uttarakhand folk dances and songs. Chief Guests for the cultural evening were Arun Kumar Singh (Chairman & CEO, ONGC) and Manish Patil (Director, Human Resource ONGC).
The program opened with a soulful Garhwali song by Renu Bala, which instantly captivated the audience. This was followed by Rawayi folk songs and performances by Ajay Tiwari’s Mahanetra Group, known for preserving Garhwal’s traditional music and culture.
Renu Bala, a renowned singer from Uttarakhand, sang “Pahro Thande Padi…”.
The Trinetra Group performed the traditional Ramai dance to the song “Tua Belena…,” followed by Pradeep Baswal’s performance of the devotional “Hari Ho….”
Artists Renu Bala, Pradeep Aswal, and Sunil Kothiyal, along with musicians Virendra Kala, Ayush Semwal, Monty Mandhwal, Sachin Verma, Brij Panwar, Ravi Barthwal, Sahil Naudiyal, and Shailendra, brought the stage alive with their music on dholak, octopad, hudka, and keyboard.
Traditional Garhwali folk songs such as “Kholi Ka Ganesh,” “Chopati,” “Thadiya,” “Chompla,” and “Chapeli” enchanted the audience.
Dancers Gusain, Sonam Singh, Sneha Upadhyay, Devika Rana, Ashish Gusain, Jagdish, Paru, and Karan performed gracefully, bringing to life the rhythm, stories, and traditions of the mountains.
A mesmerizing Sitar recital by Adnan Khan
The next performance of the evening featured renowned sitarist Adnan Khan, who began his recital with Raga Jayjaywanti, continuing into Vilambit Jhaptaal with Jod-Jhala, and concluding in Drut Teen Taal.
Adnan Khan, son of legendary sitar maestro Ustad Saeed Khan of the Kirana Gharana, began his training under his grandfather Ustad Zafar Ahmed Khan, and continues to learn from his uncle Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan. He has performed across India at prestigious events like the Harballabh Music Festival (Jalandhar) and Kal Ke Kalakar (Mumbai), captivating audiences with his mastery of ragas and lightning-fast taans. He has been a junior scholar at ITC SRA under Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan since 2009.
He was accompanied on the tabla by Shubh Maharaj, grandson of Pandit Kishan Maharaj and son of Pandit Vijay Shankar, an eminent Kathak dancer and senior disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Shubh began performing at the age of 12 and has since graced prestigious stages across India, known for his technical brilliance and expressive style.
World-renowned Usman Mir cast a musical spell at Virasat
The final performance of the evening belonged to Usman Mir, the globally acclaimed musical maestro from Kutch, Gujarat, who has performed in over 25 countries worldwide.
Osman commenced his program with the bhajan, “shiv saman koi daata nahi…” followed by Jaha daal daal par sone ki chidya and Vandey Matram and along with this he also sang many other songs on people’s request. Next Osman Mir’s son Aamir sang some hindi movie songs which listeners enjoyed thoroughly.
Accompanying him on stage were Ameer Mir (vocals), Nazir (banjo), Abdul and Arun (tabla), Irshad (octapad), Chandan (keyboard), Yusuf (orchestration), and Piyush (sound engineer).
Usman Mir’s soulful singing captivated the audience, filling the evening with magic and emotion.
