Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has said classical Indian art forms must not be neglected.
He was speaking after inaugurating the revival ceremony of ancient dance drama Ashtapadiyattam based on Gita Govindam , written by 12th century poet Jayadevan, in Guruvayur, on Monday. Governor P. Sathasivam, Union Minister of State for Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Vice President said while the country had preserved and nurtured its illustrious artistic heritage, unfortunately, certain classical Indian art forms remained in a state of neglect and were slowly fading. “We must not allow this unfortunate situation to persist and our cultural roots sustain us, make our lives richer, and make our society more humane and civilized,” he said.
Mr. Naidu said reviving Ashtapadiyattam was like unearthing a buried treasure and it was like watering a plant that was fast losing its vitality. He hoped that the dance drama was revived in all its pristine glory, as Jayadeva would have wanted it, giving full justice to the costumes, the music, and the mudras as was used in the original performance.
Calling Gita Govindam a remarkable piece of literature, the Vice President complemented the Sri Guruvayurappan Dharmakala Samuchayam Trust, headed by ‘metroman’ E. Sreedharan. He also offered his one month salary for the promotion of ‘Ashtapathiyattam.’
He said Gita Govindam ’s unusually wide appeal came from the story of Sri Krishna and his love for Radha. The story of Sri Krishna had deep resonance in the Indian hearts and the composition was so lyrical and melodious that it was eminently suitable for various adaptations by musicians and dancers, he added.
Mr. Naidu had darshan at the Sreekrishna temple.
