Octave-2014 festival concludes

Shilparamam will be set up soon in Warangal says Dy CM Dr T Rajaiah

Warangal: A Shilparamam would be set up at a cost of Rs 12 crore in Warangal district, informed Deputy Chief Minister Dr T Rajaiah.

He said that the state government has been giving top priority to the promotion of arts and culture as part of which a ‘Kalakshetram’ was proposed to be built at Indira Park in Hyderabad. Efforts are on to revive the past glory of Telangana art forms. Dr Rajaiah along with another Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali inaugurated Octave-2014, a celebration of Northeast States art forms at Ambedkar Bhavan in Hanamkonda on Sunday night.

The two-day art festival was organised by South Zone Cultural Centre based at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu as part of its efforts to preserve and promote traditional cultural heritage of India. Speaking after inaugurating the festival, Dr Rajaiah wanted everyone in the society to play their part in promoting arts and culture which he said would reflect a state or country’s richness of civilisation. India has got varied art forms and traditions spread across the nation, he said. He expressed pleasure over South Zone Cultural Centre’s initiative in organising the event in Warangal. The festival would help the local artists to understand the diversity of India’s cultural wealth.

Mahmood Ali, in his address, opined that national integrity would be strengthened by art festivals which showcase arts and culture of different states. Culture plays an important role in the development of any nation as it represents shared attitudes, values and goals. District Collector G Kishan said India with its diverse culture symbolises plurality.

“Cultural festivals like this will help to promote a feeling of belongingness among all Indians,” he said. Artistes from Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim states presented their local art forms. The celebrations concluded on Monday. About 160 artistes participated in the event.