Excelsior Correspondent
JOHANNESBURG, May 20: Eminent theatre director and cultural personality of International repute, Balwant Thakur who is currently heading Indian Culture Centre at the Consulate General of India, Johannesburg, South Africa addressed online the world on the eve of ‘World Culture Day’.
He said that in 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in December 2002, the UN General Assembly declared it as World Cultural Day recognizing the need to “enhance the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development and global peaceful coexistence.”
“This day was created to help communities all around the world to understand the current issues surrounding the cultural divide in the world. It is also a day to educate others on the value of cultural diversity and development so that we can all learn to live in a more peaceful and trusting world. Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development. Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life,” Mr Thakur maintained.
He said, cultural diversity was thus an asset that was indispensable for poverty reduction and the achievement of sustainable development.
Referring to India, Balwant Thakur said that India was among the most diverse societies with a plurality and diversity of cultures which marks it out as perhaps the largest multicultural society in the world. “The multi-religious and multicultural character of the Indian society is deeply rooted in history since ages. Indian Cultural Diversity is one of the oldest and unique. In India, there is an amazing cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, West, East, and Northeast have their own distinct cultures and almost every State has carved its own cultural niche. If compared, there is hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India’s,” said Thakur.
He further said that India was a vast country with a variety of geographical features and climatic conditions.
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