Imparting values through traditional dance forms

Mohan, besides discharging his duties as a government servant, has come out to serve the society by spreading and propagating the traditional art forms to the future generations

Nagarkurnool: In this fast-emerging modern world, where today’s children and youth are more clinging steadfast to the modern electronic gadgets like computers, mobile phones, Television, and other devices for entertainment, here is a small effort by Naroju Mohan, despite being a government employee, he has evinced his interest to impart cultural values by propagating various dance forms to the youth.

Resident of Ellikal village of Kalwakurthy mandal in Nagarkurnool district, Mohan developed his interest to practise traditional art and dance forms since his childhood. Since the year 1995 he has bent aching dance to youngsters and children free of cost. It is rare that government employees, who are more occupied at developing their own self, Mohan besides discharging his duties as a government servant, he has come out to serve the society by spreading and propagating the traditional art forms and dance forms to the future generations. At present, Mohan is giving free training to children in Indian dance forms like Kuchipudi, Yakshaganam, Janapadam and music. With an intention to promote all art forms, Mohan had also established an organisation ‘Swarna Bharati Kala Nilayam’ in the year 2007.

Particularly in summer lot of children join this organisation for learning the traditional dance forms at this institutes. According to Mohan, the institute provides 40 day training programme to children during summer holidays every year. “Particularly in summer we provide training to the students in the various Indian dance forms like Kuchipudi, Yakshaganam, Janapadam and music. We provide free training to Akasharavanam school students from Kalwakurthy,” says Ellikal Mohan.

Mohan had also participated in various programmes at the national and international level. Recently he took part at the biodiversity meet held in Hyderabad which was attended by delegates from more than 190 countries across the globe. He had also conducted a national cultural event in Dharward University at Karnataka in 2013, where he took his students from his training institute to perform and earned great laurels at the event. During the Telangana movement and soon after formation of Telangana State, Mohan had performed many moving programmes and had even won several awards including State-Level Grameena Kalajyothi award this year (2017) from Telangana government.

For rendering free service in the form of propagating traditional art forms and cultural values to the present young generations and as a recognition for his services to save the traditional art forms for the future generations, his NGO had won ‘Best NGO’ award in the year 2016.

“All my efforts are to protect our traditional art forms and dance forms which are being preserved for generations. At the same time the traditional values are also imparted which will enable us to be disciplined in our lives,” says Mohan.

He also expressed concern that the present generations are becoming more addicted to western culture and western habits. This is making them forget our culture and heritage. He stresses that it is important to teach the traditional values to our future generations and restore the wisdom of our glorious past to the future generations.