Unity in diversity at international children's theatre fest

A German circus troupe, Swiss hip-hop artistes, Latvian folk dancers and a choir from Romania which sings in Hindi - these form a slice of performances that Delhi is set to witness from today onwards.

A delegation of 5,000 children from around the world are staging a colourful extravaganza of dance,drama, puppetry, interactive plays and music recitals to spread the message of peace, harmony and unity at the 10th International Children's Festival of Performing Arts here.

A compilation of 250 productions from 30 countries would be staged at the four-day festival organised jointly by Ryan Foundation in association with National Bal Bhavan and Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

"For most children coming from other countries, India is still a place where people travel on elephants and live among royalty. Even Indian children have stereotypical ideas of other countries. This festival will help bridge differences and expose children to other cultures," Utkarsh Marwah, festival director told PTI.

Themed "I can, I will", the festival is scheduled to be inaugurated by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi is also scheduled to attend.

Children from Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Latvia, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South  Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Zambia, Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Switzerland and Thailand will share the stage with Indian schoolchildren.

Festival director Marwah says, "Children between the ages of 10 and 20 would participate and our aim is to bring out diverse cultures. So we have performances from diverse theatre forms like Italy and Zambia side by side. We have a Romanian choir group which will sing a few songs in Hindi."

"This international event will inspire not only the participating children from around the world but also others and make them work for the cause of peace and harmony," says Ryan Foundation managing director Grace Pinto. She added that a number of underprivileged children are also participating this year.

"Over the years, the festival is growing with the expectations of our participants and I am happy that it is entering in its 10th successful year. I hope children of Delhi will enjoy the performances and learn various cultures."

The international child delegates would be put up with Indian families during their stay in the country.

One of the highlights of the festial would be a bus, on which participants will paint to give expression to their feelings, and which the organisers say would promote greater understanding, harmony and unity.

On December 16, after the opening parade to generate support for a world without violence, hatred and war, the children will assemble at National Bal Bhavan to paint the bus with messages of peace.  The bus will be driven around the city, spreading these expressions of peace and harmony.

Ryan Foundation organized the National Children's Theatre Festival in 2000 with performances from within India. It was selected at the 5th Amateur Theatre Festival in Tangier, Morocco in 2002.