Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 22: Jammu and Kashmir Festival was inaugurated today by Bob Blackman, MP of Harrow East, United Kingdom, at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan in London.
Those present on the inauguration were Naveen Kumar Choudhary, Commissioner/ Secretary, Finance Department, J&K Government, Balwant Thakur, Regional Director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Jammu and Kashmir and Rahul Sahai, Vice-President CII, J&K Chapter.
The inaugural session was marked with the speeches by the dignitaries including the welcome speech by the curator of the festival, Lakshmi Kaul. In her speech, she elaborated that J&K is the crowning jewel of India. “Seated in the lap of the majestic Himalayas, J&K is a confluence of many cultures, regions and geographies – Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The region is extremely rich in natural resources and has had a history of self-reliant produce and exports”, she said.
Naveen Kumar Choudhary while speaking on the occasion, presented a detailed account of the tourism and cultural potential of the State of J&K in addition to the business opportunities available in the region.
While addressing the audiences, Balwant Thakur said that the concept behind the presentation of ‘Celebrating Diversity’ which Natrang Jammu is presenting with the help of 15 artists who have came all way from Jammu to London under the sponsorship of ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, is to present the diverse cultural legacy of the State of J&K.
Elaborating about the composition of the group, Balwant Thakur informed that from Kathua to Kargil, the group represents artists hailing from ten districts of the State of J&K which include Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Srinagar and Kargil.
“Never before the entire State’s culture has been showcased at a global platform exhibiting the distinctive cultural symbols through dance traditions of Kashmiri, Dogri, Ladakhi, Pahari, Bhaderwahi, Gojri and Balti languages”, Balwant Thakur said.
He further informed that the programme ‘Celebrating Diversity’ is a unique cultural album of J&K showcasing the variegated variety of different colors, rhythms, costumes, design patterns and artistic expressions through the dances of J&K.
Others who spoke on the occasion include Manu Khajuria and Lalit Sharma of Voice of Dogra and Vibha Mehdiretta, Deputy Director, Nehru Centre.
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