Utsav 2004

Pratidhwani

Pratidhwani began humbly, simply as a collection of close friends who got together to sing and dance in each others' company. But from those humble roots has emerged an increasingly popular and dynamic organization. What started out as a small group of friends today has blossomed into a large, boisterous and extremely talented family of musicians, dancers and dramatists. From classical music to pop, from Bharata Natyam to Bhangra, participants of Pratidhwani represent every facet of the living, breathing artistic traditions of the Indian sub-continent.

Pratidhwani's pop music talents are showcased by the Light Music Band, which will present a program of light and folk music on the opening night of Utsav this year. An increasingly accomplished collection of musicians, Pratidhwani has made its mark performing all over Seattle and the Northwest(Richland, Boise, Portland), for quite a few well-known organizations (Hindu Society of Eastern Washington, Indian Cultural Association of Portland, Indian Association of Boise, Bengali Association of Washington (Uttoron), Rotary Club for the Tri-Cities, South Asian Film Festival, IAWW, UW Libraries, and two highly acclaimed performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival). Pratidhwani's creative instincts have led it to explore every possible genre of light music, from Bollywood to Tollywood, Rabindra Sangeet to Folk Music and also music from Bangladesh and Pakistan. But far from resting on its laurels, Pratidhwani continues to grow, attracting new artists every day to its banner, and continuing to expand its artistic horizons to challenging new vistas.