The Setu Fests: A Note about Celebrating Vasant: A Collaboration

Finally, it happened---the much-anticipated “Celebrating Vasant” fest, a joint project, in Delhi, capital of India.

A spiritually-fulfilling, sensory, multi-media festival combining words, sounds and colours, curated by a top artist Sangeeta Gupta, without any complaint.

A seamless programme only she could manage to conduct, despite her very busy schedule and other pressing engagements.

The idea was to decentralise and involve communities in the spread of fine arts through such Setu Fests---mini or major.

It caught on.

Setu Bilingual Journal was happy to host a three-day multi-media and bilingual event, in collaboration with the iconic Prithvi Fine Art and Cultural Centre (Prithvi Centre), Delhi, under the dynamic leadership of the noted artist-poet-film-maker-former IRS officer, Sangeeta Gupta.

It proved to be a grand success, with high attendance over the three days. 

The debut of the in-person mega programme, called “Celebrating Vasant”, held from March 21-23, 2025, in Prithvi Centre.

The first such event was held in Toronto, in May of 2019--- a well-attended bilingual programme.

Then the Covid struck.

And online programmes became the rage, the meeting points of interested persons; the virtual places of like-minded conversations on given themes.

As things changed and conditions stabilised, in-person programmes are back.

Setu Bilingual editors thought of staging the Setu Fests in various locations, again. 

Close friends were approached for holding these fests in their respective cities. They graciously accepted the challenge and the logistics presented by fests run without corporate funding or big sponsors.

The Delhi edition of the Setu Fest is the first one---kind of parallel convention to glitzy fests.

Sangeeta Gupta kindly agreed to organise the three-day mega event, blending various forms of art and lit, inviting friends from different fields with a common trait---they are all art lovers and practitioners of various forms of sacred communication through their individual works.

She came up with the arresting title: “Celebrating Vasant (spring)”. 

And delivered a blockbuster!

The collaborative fest was attended by some of the big names in Hindi and English, and from the world of music, film and painting; there were readings, recitations, book launches, discussions and duets.

A rich partnership between two platforms---Setu and Prithvi--- promoting fine arts over the years.

Setu with its online presence enjoys a staggering 5.2-plus million viewership. It has got more than 800 authors and published select titles. 

The bilingual journal is going to complete 9 years of monthly production in June 2025.

Prithvi Centre---founded by Sangeeta Gupta---is a place of pilgrimage and a magnate for artists-authors from around the world. 

The vibes and ambience are so uplifting there!

A safe sanctuary for the soul!

Sangeeta conducts year-long programmes and invites friends from around the world for these remarkable events---poetry, prose, film, painting exhibitions, book launches and musical sessions.

The important thing is she never charges for any event---rare these days.

Celebrating Vasant was no different.

She smilingly did everything for the cause of fine arts, solo, and with great enthusiasm and energy.

Setu remains grateful to the director of this festival, Sangeeta Gupta and all the participants who made it a huge success, for creating synergies, for their blessings.

More such editions are planned across the year in India and the USA---details shall be shared soon.

A detailed report by Sangeeta Gupta on the fest follows this note, in this edition.

A view of three days filled with mesmerising performances; laughter, discussions; kinds of camraderies over tea, snacks, books and songs.

The feedback was encouraging.

So was the presence of each guest.

Let the partnership continue!

 

Sunil Sharma,
Managing Editor, Setu (English)

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Setu, March 2025