Celebrating 25 years of LalitArpan Festival 2026 with “Tradition, Transition & Transmission”

New Delhi. The Annual LalitArpan Festival by Dr. Shovana Narayan marks a landmark 25th Anniversary this year. This year the festival is emphasising on the theme – “Tradition, Transition & Transmission” to portray the enduring values of tradition and heritage, a generational transition from youth to coming to age to transmit the sacred embodied wisdom from Guru to his disciples. The event is scheduled for 8th & 9th October 2026 at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Artists would be presenting a production paying homage to 25 veteran dancer gurus of Delhi recognising their outstanding and sustained contribution to Indian classical dance, followed by visual captivating rendition of ‘Yudhishthir & Draupadi’(based on Pavan K. Varma’s epic poem) by maestro Guru Shovana Narayan and Sunit Tandon on the inaugural day.

The festival would conclude with a contemporary exploration of companionship, self-respect, and the various aspects of human values, ‘Sumang: The Silent Pillars’, by Suparna Singh and Mahima Satsangi expressed through the vocabulary of Kathak. Closing with ‘Noor’, an acclaimed contemporary and Kathak dance production by Sanjukta Sinha. It explores the inner search of light, the duality of existence and the tension between shadows and illumination.

About The LalitArpan Festival –

The LalitArpan Festival, the brainchild of Kathak maestro Padmashri Guru Shovana Narayan, Dr. Jyotsna Suri, and the late Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan, one of the most eminent tabla players, was envisaged in 2002. It sowed the seeds to provide a platform to young artists as well as to foster confidence and make room in the realm of performing arts by making them participate along with reputed senior artists, which we have strived to do to the best of their ability. Alongside, we envisioned presenting the rasikas, various dimensions of the rich tapestry of classical performing arts through solo and group presentations, dance dramas and ensembles, and so on, to the aficionados. Organized by the dance institution Asavari and its volunteers, this festival has, till date, presented over 100 torchbearers of Indian classical performing arts.

About Asavari –

Founded in 1979 by the renowned danseuse Padmashri Shovana Narayan, ASAVARI grew under the guiding force of her mother, the late Smt. Lalita Narayan, and received equal support from Ranjana Narayan, Dr. Ramchandra Gandhi, the tabla maestro, the late Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan, and many more. The name ASAVARI was decided as it symbolizes a morning raga. As a result, it represents the start of fresh hope and creation, reflecting Shovana-ji’s endeavors to spread, preserve, and advance the classical arts. As a staunch believer in the Gurukul-parampara, disciples not just learn the technical aspects of Kathak but also the importance of love, morality, and trust, which makes an artist humane.

Asavari aims to promote and nurture awareness of our rich cultural heritage. It focuses on skill development and vocational training in classical dance while exploring the connections between art and subjects like economics, social sciences, and philosophy. Asavari’s activities include teaching Kathak to students at all levels, creating new choreographies, organizing dance festivals such as LalitArpan and Rhythm and Joy, hosting quarterly gatherings, participating in various events, and leading research in dance-related subjects.

From LalitArpan Festival, Rhythm and Joy to Vividh-Mat: Perceptions” Festival—a 2-day festival—Asavari has been organizing prestigious music and dance festivals featuring stalwarts in classical performing arts.

Guru Shovana’s  Asavari Repertory is accredited for many path-breaking works, thoughtful portrayals of social issues, and explorations of rhythmic dimensions in terms of sound-scapes and emotional scapes and inspiring presentations on various subjects and topics, which have been staged all over the country and abroad.