Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan felicitates Ghusadi exponent

Khairatabad: Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan felicitated Ghusadi dance exponent and Padma Shri award winner Kanaka Raju at a special programme organised at the Raj Bhavan here on Monday.

She stated that the selection of Kanaka Raju for the Padma Shri award was a proud moment for the Telangana State and a huge honour and recognition to indigenous Ghusadi dance.

"Kanaka Raju for all his passion and service in the promotion of Ghusadi dance for the past five decades rightly deserves the award. I thank Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Central government for the award to Ghusadi dance exponent. Kanaka Raju's life, his efforts in protecting and promoting the Ghusadi dance and his achievements truly deserved to be in textbooks," she added.

She stated that she was very much interested in the tribal culture, medicine, food habits and their welfare since her college days. "During my medical college days, I, along with my husband Dr P Soundararajan, went to Andaman Islands to study about the tribal culture and their traditional medicines and food," she recollected her memories.

The Governor called for the establishment of a special center to preserve and promote the Ghusadi dance and other tribal art forms. She called upon the people to rededicate themselves for the cause of preservation and promotion of our Telangana's rich indigenous art forms like Ghusadi and pass on the legacy to future generations.

Later, Ghusadi dance troupe led by Kanaka Raju gave an enthralling performance where the governor and Tribal welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod too joined for a while.

Governor's husband and eminent Nephrologist Dr P Soundararajan, secretary to Governor K Surendra Mohan, Tribal welfare department secretary Dr Christina Z Chongthu and others were present.