Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked tirelessly towards a cultural renaissance in India and the nation really compliments him for this, said former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday. He also lauded the Prime Minister for promoting and preserving “our mother tongue” through the National Education Policy (NEP) and stressed the role of the mother tongue in protecting cultural heritage.
Mr. Venkaiah was addressing a gathering after inaugurating ‘Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra’, a regional centre of the Sangeet Natak Akademi along with Union Minister for Tourism Culture and Development of Northeast Region G. Kishan Reddy. They also laid the foundation stone for ‘Bharat Kala Mandapa’ auditorium.
Mr. Kishan said the Central government has been striving to preserve, propagate and protect the heritage of the nation. “With Mr. Modi’s support, both our tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Telangana received a major fillip,” he said.
The regional centre is envisaged to promote research and documentation of music; folk and tribal arts; theatre; and puppetry. Speaking on the Centre’s efforts to promote the country’s culture, he cited the the Ramappa Temple getting the UNESCO world heritage tag and the restoration of the ‘Kalyana Mandapam’ at 1,000-pillar temple.
Padma Shri Awardees of 2024 from the Telugu states, including Dasari Kondappa (for preserving the tradition of the ‘Burra Veena’), Kethavath Somlal (for translating the Bhagavad Gita into Banjara language), Gaddam Samiah (for ‘Chindu Yakshaganam’, a form of dance ballet), Uma Maheshwari (for her contribution to ‘Harikatha’) and Velu Anandacharya (for his contribution to sculpting and art in various temples across Telangana), were felicitated on the occasion, according to a press release.
