CROSSING BOUNDARIES DURING THE PANDEMIC

Namaskar! Last month was a very hectic and busy month but yet full of excitement and vigour as AMRAPALI (Society for ARTS) successfully solemnized the 5th CHIMERA 2020, the International Cultural Event for Students. With the advent of stepping into the 5th year of CHIMERA it was a delightful experience to have esteemed collaborators and sponsorers, who supported this mission to imbibing arts and culture within the youth and upcoming talents. This year we have been able to cater the interest for this event at the international level, hence having participation from USA, Australia and Guyana.

Also, a souvenir namely কপোল কল্পিত (KAPOL KOLPITO) which equally binds with the name and purpose of this event was released. And most importantly to mark its grandeur on completion of its 5th year, we honoured young creative talents with 5 Special Prizes and 5 Scholarships. Moreover, an award namely আম্ৰপালী অভিনৱ আদৰ (Amrapali Abhinava Aador) is introduced to honour 5 eminent artistic personalities whose creative works have marked a niche in the society and have led a legacy for young artistes to follow and stay inspired. We have been really glad to confer the award to Shri Digen Mahanta - eminent Assamese singer, Shri Bipul Das - Eminent Kathak dance exponent, Shri Jatin Bora - eminent acting personality, Shri Pabitra Margherita - eminent cultural activist and Sangeet Sattra - active cultural organisation.

'CHIMERA', as the name reflects a fantasy animal, fascinated as being an amalgamation of limbs of different animals truly designates the creative fire and zeal within every child. Their energy, intelligence and creative potentialities drive us all with wonder. As they are the future of our nation, generating self-consciousness and commitment towards serving the country depends upon their childhood learning and activities they indulge in. This is probably India's only platform wherein more than 35 artistic competitions and dozens of cultural presentations are organised and hosted onto a single platform. Talents of CHIMERA joins us from time to time on various recognised cultural platforms at the national and international level.

We were not too sure about hosting and organising the event due to the pandemic situation across the world. But as the things were getting confirmed and we approached and designed it as a virtual event, we unexpectedly got participation from across India, USA, Australia, etc. We are so happy and grateful to each one for making the event super successful and encompassing the fear of COVID 19 and making themselves an integral part of the 5th CHIMERA 2020. The performances presented by the students are truly commendable. And the most commendable point is their energy to display the best of themselves. It was so touching to witness the wonderful talents of these participants from across the globe. Some of the selected videos will be relayed on the official Facebook page of AMRAPALI (Society for ARTS). Do follow to stay updated! Thanks and much love.