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On Wednesday, February 12, the Indo-Lithuanian dance performance "Aham Prithvi : I am the Earth” was held in Delhi. It was organized by the non-governmental organization " Precious Planet NGO in collaboration with the Embassy of Lithuania in India and had the aim of raising awareness of the ecological issues.

"Problems of ecology connect all the people and countries of the world. Environmental protection in Lithuania is one of the best in Europe yet we also suffer from the effects of climate change" – said Lithuanian Ambassador in India Laimonas Talat-Kelpša in his opening speech. " We are pleased to share our experience in this area and to support the efforts of the Indian civil society of spreading awareness on these issues of such pressing importance".
When designer Beenu Rajpoot, the Head of the “Precious Planet”, visited Lithuania last year, she was inspired by the ecological movement she witnessed at Lithuanian schools and decided to start environmental activities in Delhi.
Renowned Indian artists and cultural activists agreed to join this campaign in which Delhi residents, especially schoolchildren, are encouraged to preserve the environment. The dance evening was launched by Mike Pandey, famous Indian documentary filmmaker on wildlife issues. His rather shocking film "Vanishing Giants" about the killings of elephants in India was screened.

Dance performance was directed by Lithuanian dancer Kristina Luna and had two great Indian classical dance gurus appear on stage: Padmashree Guru Shovana Narayan and Sharon Lowen whose ancestors are from Lithuania, presented compelling compositions telling the story of Mother Earth suffering from destructive human activities, in their respective Kathak and Odissi styles. Lithuanian polyphonic songs and stylized folk movements performed by group of young Indian dancers under the guidance of Kristina Luna integrated beautifully into the fabula and complemented the classical Indian dance performance.