Concerted in diversity

This Independence Day let your celebration be about more than just freedom and blazing patriotism. As the rest of the country hoists the flag and sings the National Anthem for the 70th time, Bengaluru strives to take the celebrations a step forward with the Freedom Festival. Several organisations in the city including NGOs like Vimochana, Sangama, Karnataka Sex Worker’s Union, Swaraj Abhiyan Karnataka and many others, have joined hands to bring the city an unforgettable cultural experience for the Independence Day, unlike before.

Expect poetry, literature, music and art at your disposal. Several well-known Indian activists and acclaimed artistes including Maya Krishna Rao, Mamta Sagar, Banandur Kempaiah and Harsh Mander will be present at this festival. A public hearing with testimonies and analytical testimonies will throw open the doors to this festival. As Rajesh a worker at Sangama says, “We will begin the festivities with a public hearing. The festival is open to students, youngsters and all citizens of Bengaluru. We hope that this will be a platform for them to come, learn and speak their mind too.”

This fest will be a celebration of the diversity, as Mamta Sagar, a Kannada Poet who will be performing her poetry at the festivals says, “We are speaking for diversity including the minority. The festival will have a section where poets can come every half-an-hour and recite their works. The poems that I will myself be showcasing at the festival are based on diversity as well.”

The freedom festival intends to be a wake-up call for citizens who are often left as bystanders when there are instances of marginalisation and oppression around them. We all certainly care, so here is a reason to talk about why you do. Corrine Kumar, president of Vimochana says, “This is a call to celebrate all of us in India. It’s really to celebrate the diversity that we stand for as Indians, the differences coming together equally, and in equity. There have been several incidents of lynching in the recent past of people who are not in the majority. We are going to celebrate our diversity in food, poetry, song and dance.”  Take a step into the world of rich poetry, music and cultural performances and revel in the beauty of diversity!

The festival will take place at the St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science today.