Hyderabad: Sangeet Natak Akademi plans to set up Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra in city

Hyderabad: Over the last 10 years, the Government of India has endeavoured to ensure that our cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is preserved, protected, and further propagated for future generations. 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 the preservation and promotion of this vast intangible cultural heritage of India’s diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance, and drama. To further promote the rich cultural heritage of South India, the Ministry of Culture now intends to set up a Regional Centre of Sangeet Natak Akademi in Hyderabad that will be known as Dakshin Bharat Sanskritikkendra.

Union Minister of Tourism, Cultrue and DoNER G Kishan Reddy stated, “It is a matter of pride that South India’s rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage will be further strengthened through this dedicated South India cultural centre of the Sangeet Natak Akademi”

The akademi has no presence in South India so far. The centre is envisaged for the promotion research and documentation of music, folk and tribal arts, theater and puppetry and will be developed as a state of the art regional centre and a leading cultural space that would foster the cultural growth and performative milieu of the State.

Further, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India 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 2023.

Ghantasala’s legacy - his 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. His gift to his followers and enthusiasts included a rendition of the Bhagavad Gita, a true masterpiece that was delivered with true devotion and bhakti. Keeping the contributions of Ghantasala in mind, the Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has proposed the construction of an auditorium that shall be known as “Bharat Kala Mandapam” within the “Dakshin Bharat Sanskritikkendra” at the CCRT Campus in Madhapur, Hyderabad.

The foundation stone for the “Bharat Kala Mandapam” auditorium and the inauguration of the South India Cultural Centre of the Sangeet Nataka Akademi Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra will be performed on Monday, February 12, at 5:00 pm at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hitech City, Hyderabad, and will include a cultural programme that will celebrate the contributions of Shri Ghantasala. Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and G Kishan Reddy will inaugurate the centre on February 12

During this event, the Ministry of Culture will felicitate the recent Padma awardees from the Telugu States including the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awardees.