In a major draw to to showcase India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, a seven day cultural festival of India – Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, drawing performing artists, artisans, handicrafts and cuisine from all across the country will be held from 1st to 7th November, 2015 at the IGNCA, New Delhi. The festival be the first of its kind to be organized by the Ministry of Culture in terms of its diversity and size.
Shri N.K Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Culture announced this at a press conference in New Delhi .
The Minister of State for Culture, (IC), Tourism (IC) and Civil Aviation Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in a written message for Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav said “The World over, India is recognized for its rich cultural heritage, and we wanted to create a festival that popularizes the same amongst the youth, and also creates a platform which can help us to preserve these traditions. This is a true celebration of ‘Make in India’ in a cultural context. We want to showcase each and every dimension of our culture– be it food, music, dance or art – so that we can reconnect with our roots and generate pride amongst the new generation.” He added.
Shri N.K Sinha said that the seven day festival will showcase the spectacular diversity of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari through folk, tribal and classical art forms in all its dimensions – dance, music, drama, entertainment and food. The thought was to create an Annual Festival that popularizes and showcases the cultural diversity of India be it art, artisans, dance, handicrafts or flavours from across the nation, Shri Sinha elaborated.
Secretary, Culture said the seven day festival will attempt to connect the youth to the vibrant culture and diversity of the country. The outreach programme of the festival to introduce the youth to the various facets of our culture by entertaining and engaging themhas already begun successfully, he explained. He said that unless we give encouragement to our artisans across India, we cannot call ourselves Shrestha Bharat. The 700 artists shall showcase more than 49 art forms and at least 700 artists shall perform at the inaugural ceremony of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav on 1st November at IGNCA. It’s an opportunity to encourage our artists, to help them showcase their work on a national stage, the Secretary added. He informed that all are welcome for this grand festival which is open to everyone and there is no entry fee for the festival which will remain open from 10 am to 10 pm. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav will present a food and shopping extravaganza featuring the very best of indigenous handicrafts and flavours. Shri Sinha disclosed that the Ministry of Culture is planning to organize Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav every year in the National Capital and major cities of the country.
14 premier organizations dedicated towards the support, promotion and growth of Indian Art and Culture are coming together to celebrate this unique ensemble of India. The seven Zonal Cultural Centre’s of India [ZCC’s of East, West, North, South, North Central, South Central and North East], Buddhist and Tibetan Institutes of India [BTI], National School of Drama [NSD], Sahitya Akademi [SA], Lalit Kala Akademi [LKA], Sangeet Natak Akademi [SNA], Kalakshetra Foundation [KF] have joined hands to create the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, as part of which, they will be presenting the arts, culture and heritage from their respective regions via unique displays in their respective courtyards, also called Aangans. The festival will draw art forms from the remotest part of the country.
The North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala has been entrusted with the responsibility as the nodal agency to carry forward the execution of the National Cultural Festival.