Voices from WCF

Humbled! What insane energy! This is surreal! The cultural Maha kumbh - sea of humanity, not one girl touched or modesty upstaged or children lost! And that too in Delhi!

Can all the cynics now just take a back seat? The impossible is done!

Thank you Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji and Amitji (Anandam TV) and The Art of Living volunteers led by the graceful cool headed Srividya and my team – Mahrukh, Dhanisa, Ravi, Tarun, Kanika, Sameep and Shradha!

And no I have never done The Art of Living course or follow this gentle amazing man! I was here just to do my work with my dancers and experience it as a neutral party!

How can this enormous show with 37,000 musicians, singers, dancers and 3 lakh people go so smoothly? The gods were watching too what with Lord Indra (Rain god) making his presence felt and yet no one moved! There is no other logical explanation! No event company, only volunteers and not one of them rude, except for the police who had to do their jobs sternly!

I'm stumped! This is nothing but grace!

I believe now there is a power beyond human perception!

I lose to win! Respect to the divine!

- Terence Lewis, Choreographer

Oh what a show it was! I am from Jammu and Kashmir and I really got spell bound by seeing the event of such a big magnitude. I salute the vision of our beloved master Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji. On behalf of our entire team, I’m thankful for getting this opportunity to perform on such a beautiful stage.

After this beautiful experience, I have a strong feeling that the solution of Kashmir’s problem is not through guns, but love, culture, music and dance. Through music and dance, we can really unite people. I hope that we do something to bring peace in the valley under the guidance of our master.

Jai Guru Dev.

- Sunil Sharma (Coordinator of Kashmir group)

The 140 artists that took part in the World Culture Festival had a fabulous time! In the words of Odissi Guru Anirudha Das, "Volunteers ne kuch kami mehsus nahi karne diya. Sub bacche bahut khush the" (Volunteers did not feel a lack of anything. Everybody was very happy). Congratulations for organizing such a spectacular show and at the same time taking such meticulous care of each group!

- Radhika Hoon, Chairperson, Natya Ballet Centre, New Delhi

As a journalist and a participant of the World Culture Festival along with some 3000 people from Latin America, I would like to extend the gratitude of these many thousands, including 800 artists who participated in the Tango and Latin Fire for Peace performance. I have interacted with presidents, CEOs, former PMs, ministers, etc. and each and every one was taken aback by the magnitude and success of this one world family event.

To quote the Vice President of the Andean Parliament, Mr. Hildebrando Tapia, "It has been much more than I have expected. Incredible!"

I am going back home full and wish to come back to India very soon.

- Beatriz Goyoaga, Journalist, Argentina

It was a well-conceived, planned, organized and executed event. Sheer presence in the positivity was a blessing. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience.

- Priya Dixit, Choreographer, Bharat Natyam

We want to be a part of The Art of Living.

We from the North East and never faced any sort of negligence at the festival. I have been to 25 countries to perform but have never seen such a grand event so well managed with love and care and with the feeling of being at home. We are always with Gurudev.

I wish to share with you my thoughts on the presentation of culture from North East in a different way, if possible. We from North East always feel a little segregated from others in different aspects. But while participating in this festival we felt like being at home with so much of love and care that The Art of Living volunteers gave us.

- Dr. Prashanna Gogoi, Choreographer and Ethnomusicologist