Vijayawada : The second edition of the Amaravati Global Music and Dance festival 2018 organized by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority began here with much fanfare in the presence of Honorable Minister of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Smt. Bhuma Akhila Priya.

The inaugural event saw the distinguished presence of Shri Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, Honorable Speaker, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly; Shri Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, Member of Legislative Assembly from Vijayawada Central Constituency; Shri B Lakshmikantham, Krishna District Collector; Shri Himanshu Shukla, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority; Shri D. Vizai Bhaskar, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Creativity & Culture Commission, and other dignitaries.

The first day of the annual festival was off to a great start, with thousands of people in attendance to witness the grand cultural extravaganza spread across three days. Tribal and folk dancers in colorful costumes welcomed the dignitaries. A choir of school children recited the Vedic chants.

The audiences were delighted to witness a string of performances including classical Kuchipudi recital by Deepika Reddy (a leading exponent of Kuchipudi art form in the present times), percussion ensemble by Anuradha Pal’s Stree Shakti (the first-ever all-female Indian classical band), and some great popular music by the world’s first Hindi rap megastar Baba Sehgal and the renowned film playback singer and music composer, MM Srilekha. Well-known Kuchipudi proponent Shri Vedantam Radheshyam was the guest of honour. Eighteen artists and more than 10,000 attendees are expected to be present at the 2018 edition of the festival.

Smt. Bhuma Akhila Priya, Honorable Minister of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said: “The Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival has become the definite annual cultural extravaganza of not only Andhra Pradesh but the entire region just a year after its launch. The language of music and dance is universal and transcends man-made boundaries. This Festival has been a great success, bringing some of the top artists and performers in India on a single stage in a celebration of our ancient culture, art and traditions. We hope the second edition of the Amaravati Global Music and Dance Festival 2018 will enhance appreciation of Indian and Telugu culture across the world, and give a boost to the state’s tourism industry.”