The rich legacy and cultural traditions of the country have to be carried forward, Governor Banwarilal Purohit told a gathering of artistes at the South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC) here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating ‘Shreshtha Bharat Sanskriti Samagam’, a five-day festival organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi in collaboration with the South Zone Cultural Centre, the Governor observed that such events provide a platform for the budding artists to showcase their talents. The very purpose of the event was to bring the performers closer to the people, the Governor, who is the Chairman of the centre, said.
Terming Thanjavur as a treasure trove of culture dating back to 1,000 years, the Governor said majestic monuments built by the Chola kings stood testimony. The Brahadeeswarar temple (Big Temple), called as ‘Dakshina Meru’, depicts the construction knowledge and skill of Tamilians.
Pointing out that Sangam literatures carry references to the rich Tamil folk art forms, the Governor said that after the Chola era, music took centre stage in the region with yeoman contributions from Saint Composer Sri Thyagaraja of Thiruvaiyaru. Prior to that, the devotional musical hymns of Nayanmars and Alwars added to the glory of Tamil music.
Speaking on the occasion, Sangeet Natak Akademi chairman Shekar Sen said the Akademi had conducted the festival of music, dance, drama, folk, tribal arts, puppetry and other allied traditional arts earlier in Bhubaneshwar, Allahabad, Amristar and Guwahati.
The Governor declared open a Cultural Care Centre for Specially Abled Children at SZCC campus in the presence of Agriculture Minister R. Doraikannu, Rajya Sabha MP R.Vaithilingam, District Collector A. Annadurai, SZCC director M. Balasubramoniam, and SZCC member and industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti.
