Celebrations by Akashvani (All India Radio) for India’s presidency of the G20, came to a close on Sunday, September 3, 2023, with Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan, giving away prizes to students of several colleges who won various competitions held, at an event held in Chennai.
Ms. Soundararajan said Indian culture was a way of life, and was also respected in other countries. She also narrated a story about how Swami Vivekananda told people that until he travelled abroad, he loved India, but after returning from foreign countries, he revered India. She said that Akashvani’s role in safeguarding and spreading our rich culture and traditions among the masses was very important.
Director of Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) V. Kamakoti urged Akashvani to restore its ‘vadhya vrinda’ series where musicians performed classical music, and also its music lessons. These, he said, were very important in continuing the Indian knowledge system. He spoke about how during the lockdown, the country succeeded in taking education to homes and ensuring children continued with their classes.
Managing Director of Arunexcello, an engineering and construction firm, P. Suresh spoke about how a Central government subsidy scheme had helped crores of first-time home-owners to buy houses. He said that the scheme was still available in rural areas and helped people finance their house constructions.
Akashvani, Chennai Director S. Pandi and head of Programme Division Jaya Mahadevan also spoke at the event.