- Cultural exchange was encouraged through traditional music, dance and folk arts
BRICS Cultural Festival-2026 was organized by the Ministry of Culture , Central Government under India’s BRICS Chairmanship-2026 at Rabindra Bhavan , Bhopal on Thursday. In this festival organized on the second day of the third meeting of the BRICS Cultural Working Group, artists from BRICS members and participating countries introduced the rich cultural heritage of different countries through their traditional cultural performances and strengthened the spirit of cultural exchange and mutual cooperation.
The festival was organized based on the spirit of “ Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah ” , which expresses India’s civilizational vision of universal peace , harmony and collective welfare. This event is an important initiative towards strengthening cultural exchange and people-to-people relations between different countries in line with the theme of India’s BRICS Chairmanship-2026 “ Building for Resilience , Innovation , Cooperation and Sustainability ” .
The program started with a cultural parade of the participating countries. It was attended by cultural delegations from Belarus , Brazil , Indonesia , Russian Federation , United Arab Emirates and host India and introduced global unity and cultural harmony.
Artists from Gennady Tsitovich National Academic Folk Choir of the Republic of Belarus performed traditional Belarusian folk songs and comic folk dances.
The Afro-Brazilian cultural tradition ‘ Capoeira ‘ from Brazil was showcased. This performance featured a unique combination of martial arts , dance , music and acrobatic arts. Indonesian artists performed the traditional Balinese welcome dance ‘ Pushpanjali ‘ . It also staged the famous Javanese dance-drama “ The Legend of Roro Jongrang ” inspired by Prambanan Temple.
Soloists of the National Academic Folk Instruments Orchestra of Russia performed on traditional Russian instruments such as balalaika , bayan , alto domra and contrabass balalaika. Saif Al-Ali, a famous musician from United Arab Emirates, presented Emirati and Arab musical traditions with contemporary influences. ” Maru Rang – Heritage of Rajasthan ” was presented by India. It showcased the rich folk culture and cultural heritage of Rajasthan through folk dances like Ghoomar , Chari , Kalbeliya and Bhawai.
The program concluded with the grand finale , in which artistes from all countries came together on one stage and conveyed the message of cultural unity , mutual respect and universal harmony. On this occasion, the commitment of the BRICS countries to strengthen the international cooperation and strengthen the mutual connection between the people of different countries through art and culture was also underlined.
