Arunima Chatterjee and (above) Priya Smita Das perform at the solo dance competition organised at Rabindra Bhavan in Patna on Wednesday. Pictures by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Seven-year-old Dikshita Mukherjee flitted and fluttered like a firefly on the stage as she danced to Rabindranath Tagore’s immortal music.

The song she had chosen for her performance was O jonaki ki shukhe oi dana duti melechho (Oh firefly, what happiness inspires you to spread your wings). One of the youngest performers at a competition organised in Patna on Wednesday to mark the 150th birth anniversary year of the poet who composed the national anthems of two countries, Dikshita, charmed the audience with her moves.

After the performance, she said: “My mother taught me to dance like this.”

She was not alone though. A number of district-level winners, like Dikshita, showcased their skill in music and dance at Rabindra Bhavan, where Rabindra Parishad hosted the final of a solo dance and song competition.

Provas Roy, the general-secretary of Rabindra Parishad, told The Telegraph: “This is a first-of-its-kind programme to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore. Contestants in the final today (Wednesday) won at the district-level. We have been organising a number of song and dance competitions from May last year. Various events were held in Patna in the first phase of the programme. In the second phase, similar competitions were held in districts like Muzaffarpur, Ara, Munger, Bhagalpur and Gaya. This is the last phase of our yearlong programme.”

He also said: “In Bihar, only Rabindra Parishad has organised such an elaborate programme. Unlike other organisations, we have spread it to different parts of the state.”

The competitors were divided into six groups for the competition on Wednesday — A (Class I), B (classes II to V), C (classes VI to VIII), D (classes IX and X), E (classes XI and XII) and F (students who have passed Class XII). Popular Rabindrasangeet numbers like Agni beena bajao tumi and Mor beena uthe kon shure baaje were performed.

Calcutta-based Bharatnatyam dancers Aich Bhowmick and Soma Banerjee, along with Timir Roy, a former member of Ananda Shankar’s troupe, judged the dancers. Rabindrasangeet singer Alok Roy Chowdhury evaluated the performance of the singers.

Performers said they were a little nervous because of the tough competition. Patna resident Arunima Chatterjee, 11, said: “I was the winner of my district but the other competitors were winners too. I am keeping my fingers crossed as all of them are very good.”

The results of the competition would be declared after May 7.