'BRICS Symphony': Ensemble of artistes from India, other countries to perform at Summit gala dinner

An ensemble of over 100 artistes drawn largely from India as well as other member countries of BRICS is set to perform at a gala dinner that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host for various world leaders on the opening day of the groupings Summit at the Bharat Mandapam here people familiar with the matter saidIndia is hosting the BRICS Summit at the sprawling venue in central Delhi on September 1213 which will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other heads of state among other top dignitariesA large group of artistes classical dancers and musicians largely from India as well as musicians from various other member countries of BRICS will showcase BRICS Symphony during the gala dinner that the prime minister will host for the invited leaders on September 12 the day the Summit opens at the Bharat Mandapam a person familiar with the matter told PTIThe size of the ensemble would be about 160 with Indian dancers and musicians forming the core of the performance troupe they saidIndian dancers will perform classical dances such as Bharatnatyam Kuchipudi Odissi and Kathak representing different regions of India while musicians will play traditional instruments of the country complemented by musicians from some of the other member countries of the grouping according to the plan one of the persons cited above saidThe shows duration would be about 2025 minutes and there will be intermittent vocal renditions the person addedThe Indian team members of the ensemble have been rehearsing for the performance in the past two days ahead of the big dayThe planned show is being helmed by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations ICCR the cultural arm of the Ministry of External Affairs MEA they addedIndia is a founding member of the BRICS and has previously held its chairship three times in 2012 2016 and 2021The country assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1 and has since then hosted a large number of meetings under various thematic tracks such as finance environment diplomacy law culture and tourismIndia hosted the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting on May 1415 chaired by External Affairs Minister S JaishankarUnder the theme Samanvay the ICCR had welcomed guests at the BRICS cultural performance and gala dinner hosted by Jaishankar on May 14 at the Bharat MandapamThe evening resonated with the melodies of Indias devotional traditions the grace of Bharatanatyam and the vibrant energy of folk dances from across IndiaBRICS comprising Brazil Russia India China and South Africa expanded in 2024 to include Egypt Ethiopia Iran the UAE and Saudi Arabia with Indonesia joining in 2025Belarus Bolivia Kazakhstan Cuba Malaysia Nigeria Thailand Uganda Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last yearIt emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world representing around 495 per cent of the global population around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global tradeThe year 2026 also marks a milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishmentBesides a special mural is also being created at the Bharat Mandapam The art as well as the musical projects represent the cultural exchange and bonds that exist among BRICS members with India being the host for the 18th BRICS Summit the person familiar with the matter addedThe BRICS Summit 2026 hosted by India provides an important platform for strengthening cooperation and peopletopeople ties among the BRICS nations including through cultural and artistic exchange As part of the BRICS Friendship Mural project artists from across the member countries have come together in India to create a collaborative artwork inspired by the concept of Sangam the confluence of rivers symbolising the coming together of diverse cultures and traditions the ICCR said in a social media post earlier this weekAs part of their cultural experience the artists visited Agra where they explored the iconic Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and went to an embroidery and traditional handicraft centre witnessing a live demonstration of Zardozi embroidery and traditional craftsmanship along with an experience of Indian classical music offering them an enriching glimpse into Indias heritage and living artistic traditions it saidIn a media statement the MEA said Indias BRICS chairship is guided by the theme Building for Resilience Innovation Cooperation and Sustainability reflecting Prime Minister Modis vision of a peoplecentric approach rooted in the spirit of Humanity FirstOver the years BRICS has steadily evolved into a comprehensive framework for cooperation across the three foundational pillars of political and security economy and finance cultural and peopletopeople exchangesPrime Minister Modi on Thursday shared a video clip featuring a montage of visuals of the decorated Bharat Mandapam and the preparations for the mega conclaveThe nearly 30second video pepped up with a catchy background music was shared by him on Instagram X and other social media platformsAll set for BRICS 2026 brics2026 Modi postedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever