The Rich History and Culture of Almora Unlike most other hill stations in Northern India, Almora was not developed by the British as a summer retreat. It was the capital of the Chand dynasty that ruled the Kumaon region for over a thousand years until they were ousted by the British. Despite this, Almora has preserved its culture over the years and today is known as the cultural capital of the Kumaon. This is reflected in many daily aspects like the style of building houses,the food consumed by people, the way of celebrating festivals, worshipping deities and the language. There are many monuments, old temples and museums that celebrate this rich history. The Govind Vallabh Pant Museum has an extensive collection of artefacts, paintings, sculptures and weapons as old as 2nd Century AD chronicling the rise and fall of the Chand dynasty. The two famous temples in the town are the Nanda Devi temple and Kasar Devi temple, both dedicated to mountain goddesses widely worshipped in the region.
We are sharing here information about famous Uday Shankar Academy of Music and Dance in Almora. Uday Shankar Born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, Uday Shankar was the eldest son of noted barrister Syam Shankar. He was the eldest of the four siblings. His youngest brother, Rabindra is a popular sitar maestro and familiar to all as "Pandit Ravi Shankar". (Source www.culturalindia.)Uday Shankar initiated a unique movement of revival of classical dances in 1930. Though he had no formal training in any classical form, his presentations were creative. Uday Shankar used the essence of various traditions and techniques in his dance dramas and succeeded in presenting an integrated composition. The government of India awarded Uday Shankar with the coveted "Padma Vibhushan.Uday Shankar Academy was opened in Almora in 1938. As per KATHAK DHAROHAR’S MOTO for uplifting the rural communities and acknowledge them towards the INDIAN CLASSICAL ARTS like KATHAK, SINGING,DRAMA, etc. The workshop was held at G.G.I.C. ,ALMORA from 17 th -22 nd December,2018. The workshop was conducted for the students of G.G.I.C. and children from Rashtriya Baal Griha. More than 150 students participated in the workshopfor kathak as well as drama. The students were enthusiastic and keen to learn the delicate art of Kathak Nritya and Drama.The students were guided and mentored by the Kathak Exponent SHRI SADANAND BISWAS JI and renound artist Mohd. Ali with Durva Joshi, Pooja Gupta and Parul Sharma as Kathak Acharya. The workshop ended with a successful production showcase at the UDAY SHANKAR MUSIC AND DANCE ACADEMY where the children were given the opportunity to perform in front of live audience and their near and dear ones.The workshop was appraised and awarded with great appreciation from The Governor of Uttarakhand, Shrimati Baby Rani Morya “Kathak Nritya is an celebrated and renound part of Indian Heritage . The workshop conducted by Kathak Dharohar for the youth to acknowledge them about it’s cultural richness is a commendable initiative taken by the organisation. I wish all the success to the Kathak Dharohar Organisation” Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat “The organisation Kathak Dharohar has been organising workshops to provide knowledge about Kathak for the the children of slum areas, the handicapped children, the orphaned children, the tribal groups to foster the self-esteem and to boost the creative potential of the children trained under the auspices of Kathak Dobation Head of Almora, Shri Rajeev Nayan“ The workshop held by the organisation Kathak Dharohar educated the foster home Children of Rajkeeya Bal Griha Kishor , Almora. The department wishes you all the success and glory for your forth coming programme at the end of the workshop”