Bee festival in Hyatt adds to eco buzz

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The only word that could describe the reaction of the crowd that had turned up at the Hyatt regency for the inauguration of Pollinator-1 the Bee Festival would be “awestruck”. The unveiling of Asia’s largest art installations that were inspired by bees stunned the audience.

The objective of the three-day festival is to emphasise on the importance of the role played by honeybees in our ecosystem.

The evening began with the stunning performance of Kurumba tribals, the beekeepers from Nilgiris.

This was followed by a mesmerising dance by the members of Aattakkalari’ Centre for Movement Arts. Oscar winning musician A.R. Rahman inaugurated the festival on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion renowned designer Rajiv Sethi, the brain behind the event, said “This festival is intended to be an ode to honey bees.

The festival is conceived to kickstart a series of outreach programmes to create awareness on the bees and save them.”

He pointed out that the bees symbolise the predicament of human life, the choice between co-existence and unbridled dominance, harmony or destruction and other dilemmas that challenge human existence.

Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former governor of West Bengal, kept the audience in rapt attention as he explained the many ways in which people are blessed by nature and how the constant manner in which people exploit nature has left ecosystem threatened.

“We have to understand what triggers, powers and connects life. And we also have to understand what threatens to destroy it.”

The cross pollination of bees depict the physical life and ideas behind it. But it is hard to see the bees heartlessly being exploited for private gains, he added.

Recalling his meeting with former Prime Minister Indra Gandhi, M.S. Swaminathan said, “ I suggested to her to make India a bee research destination, which is when she said we should actually release the stamp having a honeybee and the beehive.”

Earlier, audiences were enthralled by the rendition of ‘Vande mataram by renowned musician T.M. Krishna. The event is on for next two days.