New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Dance and music unite people in a world full of conflicts and transgressions, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of the International Indian Dance Festival here, he also said that art does not define dominance, it defines integration. Dance can be a great facet of cultural diplomacy, he underlined.
In a world grappling with conflicts, transgressions and discord, there is a ray of light. In the tunnel of transgressions and conflagrations, we find the light of dance and music that unites people across cultural barriers, the vice president said.
Dance artists, Dhankhar said, are cultural and peace ambassadors. They promote dialogue and discussion, and lay great ground for soothing diplomatic manoeuvres, he said.
He said India is a living civilisation with geniuses like Tansen, Tagore, Purandara Dasa and Swami Haridas.
But there was a time in our history, 400 to 500 years back when music was discarded by the then rulers. Our most precious treasure was antithetical to their values, he lamented.
“We suffered that kind of repression, but we continued to believe that in every part of this great land, those who nurture, blossom, further dance and music are to be held in high esteem,” he said. PTI NAB RHL
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