TO PERFECTLY ARTICULATE THE EMBODIMENT OF THE HEART OF A RISING , ON OBR ’ S 10 TH YEAR , AND WITH “ RISE FOR FREEDOM ” AS THE THEME ...
FROM JAGORI GRAMEEN – OBR INDIA NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
“ The second edition of the OBR Swara Mountain Arts Festival 2023 held from 11th - 15th April at Jagori Rural truly brought together and celebrated multiple identities - those with special abilities and diverse gender identities , artists from various corners , our friends from different parts of the world , community members , women , children , youth - and thus included everyone in raising voice and rising together for Freedom . Freedom from inequality , from discrimination , from injustice and oppression of all kinds & Freedom to express and be ourselves the way we are .. spreading love and humanity in the world .
Imbibing the spirit and guidance of Saint Kabir , the festival was successfully able to weave together inclusivity , intersectionality and activism for rights and freedom . Through workshops on different art forms - music , theatre and creative storytelling , the participants at the festival learnt to use ‘ Art ’ for telling their own story as well as raising voice for social justice and equality . There were evening celebrations on each day of the festival and we saw a diverse range of performances including singing , dances , poetry , clowning , theatre . were a perfect culmination and crescendo taking the festival ’ s freedom message and hope to its peak . Hoping that this journey continues to touch many more hearts and lives in future and the magic of ‘ Swara ’ reaches every corner in the world !”
“ Swara ” is derived from the Sanskrit word “ Svar ” which means sound . There are different forms of sound . But the sound which is soothing to the ear and which is musical is known as swara .