Vedaaranya Festival marks 10 years in Ramgarh with focus on ‘women in heritage’

Ramgarh Shekhawati, Rajasthan, often described as the world’s largest open-air art gallery, will once again become a vibrant centre of culture, creativity and healing as the Vedaaranya Heritage and Healing Festival (VHAH Fest) returns for its 10th anniversary from January 22 to 26, 2026.

Presented by the Shruti Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO and INTACH, the festival will be staged across Ramgarh’s grand frescoed havelis, historic chhatris, candle-lit stepwells and the iconic Ramgarh Fort.

Advertisement

Supported by UNESCO, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Incredible India and the Rajasthan Foundation, the 2026 edition will revolve around the theme “Women in Heritage”, celebrating the often-unseen role of women in shaping India’s cultural, artistic and civilisational legacy.

Once known as Doosra Kashi and recorded as the town with the highest per capita income in the world in 1900, Ramgarh Shekhawati is being reimagined as a Habitat of the Future through this festival.

The festival is the vision of Dr Shruti Nada Poddar, founder of Shruti Foundation, whose sustained efforts over the past decade have brought global attention back to the Shekhawati region. Through VHAH Fest, she has worked to revive local economies, preserve intangible traditions and reconnect communities with their heritage.

Speaking ahead of the event, Poddar said Ramgarh is not merely a venue but a living heritage civilisation, adding that the tenth edition honours the feminine force that has shaped heritage through generations in ways both visible and invisible.

A major intellectual highlight of the festival will be a high-profile UNESCO panel on “Women in Heritage”, led by Tim Curtis, Head of UNESCO South Asia, and moderated by author and arts curator Dr Alka Pande. The panel will bring together an eminent line-up including H.H. Ranisa Kadambari Jadeja, Maharani of Rajkot, Padma Bhushan Pandit Sajan Misra, celebrated musician and actor Ila Arun, Padma Shri Geeta Chandran, theatre personality Dr Rama Pandey, local young representative Priyanka Solanki from Ramgarh, and Dr Shruti Nada Poddar.

The cultural programme promises a rich blend of classical, folk and contemporary expressions. Among the highlights are a grand musical evening by Ila Arun at the historic Sethani Ka Johad in Churu, and “The Descent of Shakti”, a powerful performance at Ramgarh Fort conceptualised by internationally renowned artist-curator Gauri Sharma Tripathi.

The Grand Archway Gallery at Mohar Haveli will host a special exhibition, “Raja Ravi Varma’s Women in Art and Their Influence on the Indian Mind”, presented by His Highness Raja Rama Varma, a descendant of the legendary painter.

Audiences will also witness a Dastaan Goi on the life of Meena Kumari by celebrated storyteller Fouzia Daastango, the meditative “Chant & Cello” performance by world-renowned cellist Saskia Rao de Haas with Dr Shruti Nada Poddar, flute recitals by Irish artist Siobhan Molloy, and a unique east-west collaboration featuring Irish musician Jack Warnock with Rajasthani Manganiyar artists.

Rajasthan’s folk traditions will come alive through performances by Langa musicians and the Kalbeliya community.

The festival places strong emphasis on healing traditions rooted in Shekhawati. Ayurvedic experts Vaidya Manju Misra and Vaidya Chandanmal Swami will share traditional knowledge of cures for everyday and chronic ailments, while health transformation coach Vidhi Beri will explore the intersection of tradition and neuroscience through her sessions on mind, mood and food.

Heritage walks, interactive sessions and intimate candlelit gatherings will further deepen the immersive experience.