Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu today called upon schools and parents to encourage children to learn any art form of their choice as part of the efforts to preserve and promote India’s rich cultural heritage. Stressing the need to go back to our roots, he called for a cultural renaissance in Indian society.
He also said that our rich traditional folk-art forms such as puppetry are disappearing due to the craze for western culture. They have to be revived with active involvement of not just the governments but society at large.
Observing that exposure to creativity and art at an early age will help children become more aware of their surroundings and help them lead a more meaningful life, Naidu wanted educational institutions to give equal importance to art subjects in their curriculum.
The Vice President was speaking at the investiture of the SangeetNatakAkademi and Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowships along with Akademi Awards for 2018 and 62nd National Exhibition of Art Awards. He presented the honours to various artists for their contribution to the field of performing arts and fine arts.
Referring to ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, Naidu said that many unsung heroes made sacrifices for our freedom but their stories remain largely unknown to the masses as they did not get enough attention in our history books. He called for correcting these distortions and highlight the contributions made during the freedom struggle by these lesser known heroes.
Recalling the role of visual and performing arts in arousing patriotic feelings during the independence movement, the Vice President said that art was used as a “powerful political weapon” to tell the stories of British oppression in an effective manner.
He recalled how the fiery patriotic songs and poems of Rabindranath Tagore, Subramania Bharati, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee inspired strong feelings of nationalism among the masses. “The contribution of our freedom fighters through powerful artistic expression is integral to our freedom struggle and must not be forgotten”, he stressed.
Union Minister of Culture G.Kishan Reddy said that it is a matter of great pleasure and pride for the Ministry and the Govt of India to recognize the contribution of fellows and awardees who have been instrumental in keeping the flag of Indian tradition and arts flying high within and outside our country. He also added “I am very happy to note that Lalit Kala Akademi has increased the awards from 15 to 20 this year”.
