New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) A regional centre of Sangeet Natak Akademi is slated to be inaugurated in Hyderabad on Monday, the Culture Ministry said.
The Akademi has no presence in south India so far, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The inauguration of the South India Cultural Centre of the Sangeet Nataka Akademi — Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra — will be performed on Monday, at 5 PM at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hitech City, Hyderabad, it said.
Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy will inaugurate the centre, the ministry said.
Reddy said it is a “matter of pride that south India’s rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage that is renowned globally, will be further strengthened through this dedicated South India Cultural Centre of the Sangeet Natak Akademi”.
“Over the last 10 years, the government of India has endeavoured to ensure our cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is preserved, protected and further propagated for future generations,” the statement said.
One of the mandates of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture and an apex body in the field of performing arts in the country, is preservation and promotion of vast intangible cultural heritage of India’s diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and drama, the ministry added.
The new regional centre in Hyderabad intends to further promote the rich cultural heritage of south India, officials said.
The centre is envisaged for the promotion, research and documentation of music, folk and tribal arts, theatre and puppetry, and will be developed as a state-of-the-art regional centre and a leading cultural space that would foster cultural growth and performative milieu of the state, the statement said.
The Ministry of Culture added in the statement that it recently commemorated the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary musician par excellence, freedom fighter and Padma awardee Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao through yearlong celebrations starting in December 2022 and culminating in December last year.
Rao’s music and his emotive voice still continues to thrive in the homes of music lovers across India and around the globe. He was not just a singer but a freedom fighter who spent more than a year in jail for his participation in the Quit India Movement, the statement said.
It added that his gift to followers and enthusiasts included a rendition of the Bhagavad Gita – a true masterpiece that was delivered with true devotion and ‘bhakti’.
Keeping in mind the contributions of Ghantasala, the Akademi has proposed construction of an auditorium that shall be known as “Bharat Kala Mandapam” within the “Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik kendra” at the CCRT Campus in Madhapur, Hyderabad, the ministry said.
The foundation stone for the “Bharat Kala Mandapam” auditorium will also be laid on Monday, at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hitech City, Hyderabad and will include a cultural programme that will celebrate the contributions of Ghantasala, the statement said.
The ministry will also felicitate the Padma awardees from the Telugu states, including the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awardees, who received it recently, it added. PTI KND CK
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