Looking back 2023: Amritsar expands its art & cultural landscape
Neha Walia
Amritsar, December 20
As an epicentre of art, cultural and literary activities, Amritsar has always been a perfect host to curated cultural experiences in form of fine arts, performing arts, theatre and literature festivals.
Like every year, 2023 also brought new experiences for city residents. The year began with the maiden edition of The Sacred Amritsar, a celebration of mystics and poets, with their timeless verses weaved together in the backdrop of Amritsar’s heritage.
The event brought several eminent names in the field of music and arts to Amritsar, including vocalist Aruna Sairam, Punjabi folk singer Dolly Guleria and singer-songwriter Harpreet Singh.
Besides, Rabbi Shergill, Kabir folk artiste Shabnam Virmani, Askari Naqvi and Valentina Trivedi, Chinmayi Tripathi, also a folk artiste, and leading Hindustani classical slide guitar player Kamala Shankar.
The literary sessions featuring renowned names such as former diplomat and author Navdeep Suri, painter Arpana Caur, writer-poet Saumya Kulshrestha and literary historian Purushottam Agrawal amplified the city’s status as a thriving hub for culture and arts.
Hosts G20 delegates
An important milestone that Amritsar achieved in 2023 was hosting the G20 delegations as part of the G20 Presidency hosted by India.
Apart from a series of educational, trade and political events hosted under the G20 summit, the city also hosted a three-day Sufi festival at Gobindgarh Fort with concerts by eminent artistes, including Nooran sisters, Master Salim, Feroze Khan, Masha Ali, Aqidat and Rani Randeep.
In another first, the city also hosted the month-long maiden Amritsar Edition of the Punjab Art Initiative, a public art festival supported by Yuj Arts Foundation.
The festival transformed the VR Ambarsar into a lively art space with over 150 art works, including paintings and murals.
The event also invited sessions by eminent writers and artists. Two editions of national theatre festivals hosted by the Manch Rangmanch and Dastak theatre also enriched the theatre and drama circuit here while Majha House’s annual edition of literary festival kept the ardent book lovers hooked.
Starry visitors
The city also witnessed an increase in its celebrity-footfall. Raghav Chaddha and Parineeti Chopra, Oscar-winning director Guneet Monga, Suniel Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, Shifali Shah, Nandita Das, Saniya Malhotra, Vicky Kaushal and Karishma Kappoor were some of the prominent people who visited the Golden Temple this year. The city also emerged as a popular shooting location for various national and international films.
Ending on a high
Thanks to Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sam Bahadur, the year is ending on a high note for the holy city. The biographical film by Meghna Gulzar generated significant interest in the city’s rich history and heritage.
The film on former city resident Sam Manekshaw, not only narrated the story of India’s first Field Marshall, but also introduced the young generation of Amritsaris to the real-life hero and his city connection.
If 2022 was celebrating the story of Amritsar hero Shaheed Udham Singh cinematically, 2023 was about retelling the story of Sam Manekshaw.
