Chandigarh  :  The International Gita Mahotsav has become a platform to preserve many genres of folk art and culture of Haryana which are on the verge of extinction.

Folk arts like Dheru Gayan Gatha, Baazigar Kala and Kachhi Ghodi are being performed on the banks of the Brahma Sarovar. Through this festival, not only is the government trying to keep the folk culture alive, employment opportunities are also being provided to folk artistes.

The North Zone Cultural Art Centre, Patiala, Haryana Art and Cultural Affairs Department, Haryana Arts Council and Kurukshetra Development Board along with the state government are working to preserve the folk culture of not just Haryana but also of other states and provide a platform to the artists through the International Gita Mahotsav. A folk artiste said only a few of them are left in Haryana who are carrying forward the Jogi Nath Been Sapera tradition by playing Been, Tumba, Dholak and Khanjari.

He said the fellow artistes in his group are also working with him to keep this art alive. All of them are entertaining people by playing Been, Tumba, Dholak, Khanjari dressed in traditional costumes. The state government is continuously working to provide platforms like International Gita Mahotsav to encourage such artistes. On the seventh day of the Shilp and Saras Mela, folk artistes from various villages of Haryana made the tourists dance by presenting Dheru Gatha singing on the northern bank of the Brahma Sarovar. These folk artistes praised the saga of Guru Gorakh Nath ji and of Jahveer Gugga Peer through Dheru Gatha singing. Expressing gratitude to the government and administration, an artiste said through the International Gita Mahotsav, an effort is being made to keep the folk arts alive.