SHIMLA 12th May, 2012Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, exhorted the litterateurs to contribute significantly in preserving the art and culture of the State to make Himachal Pradesh a centre of art and culture. He was addressing the ‘Shikhar Yuva Samman’ Samaroh, organised by a literary organization, Shikhar, here today.
Prof. Dhumal said that State Government was making efforts to promote Art, Language and Culture besides preserving the rich cultural heritage of the State. He said that literature was the mirror of the society and added that the serene beauty of Himachal Pradesh had always attracted writers and artists.
Chief Minister said that there was sufficient in the field of art and culture in Himachal Pradesh to write upon which could be preserved for future generations through exhaustive research work and publication of books. He said that literature represented the age it was written in and carried historical contents of art and culture of respective period. He said that writers express their feelings through their creativity. He said that pieces of literatures based upon the experiences of the writer had always been ranked best in the literary field. He said that literary organizations had been contributing significantly towards the promotion of creativities of respective age. He said that efforts were afoot to motivate creative minds write on the rich art and culture of the State for the benefit of future generations.
Prof. Dhumal congratulated Shri Keshav, President of Shikhar for organizing its annual function and inviting renowned litterateurs from different parts of the country to deliberate upon exploring possibilities of making Himachal Pradesh a centre of art and culture in the country.
He also conferred ‘Yuva Shikhar Sahitya Samman’ besides cash prize of Rs. 5100 upon young writer from Meghalaya Dr. Bharat Prasad and congratulated him for the same. He also welcomed participating delegates to Himachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister also released poetry book ‘Virasat Jaisa Kuchh’ penned by renowned poetess Dr. Rekha on the occasion.
Shri Pradeep Pandit, a renowned writer and scholar also addressed the inaugural ceremony.
Shri Keshav, President, Shikhar, welcomed the Chief Minister and reiterated the resolve to make Shimla Literary Capital of the country by organizing more of literary festivals, seminars and workshops. He said that literature and society were deeply related and literature reflects the age when it was written. He detailed activities of the organization also.
Shri Rajender Rajan, General Secretary, proposed vote of thanks.
Besides noted writers, Shri Sonal Agnihotri, Superintendent of Police, Dr. N.K. Lath, Additional District Magistrate were also present on the occasion.
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No.504/2012-PUB DATED SHIMLA 12th May, 2012
WRITE ON HIMACHAL TEMPLES: CM EXHORTS WRITERS
Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, laid stress to write in detail over the temples in the State to create interest amongst the young minds to know about their devotional legacy. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of two-day long Seminar on ‘Kala Vaibhav’ organised by State Academy of Language and Art in collaboration with Lalit Kala Akademy in historic Gaiety Theatre, here today.
Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh was known as the Land of Gods for the reason that there were innumerable religious shrines, big and small, in the State. He said that references of only prominent shrines were available to the readers while there were lesser known temples in the remote and interiors of the State, which needed to be focal point of writings on temples. He said that every religious shrine had a large number of devotees and carry interesting stories alongwith it. He said that with the writing on temples the State would not only emerge a best destination from religious point of view but also preserve the legacy for future generations to be proud of. He said that Himachal Pradesh was deeply attached to its traditional arts and values which needed to be preserved for the future.
Prof. Dhumal said that only those societies which progress ahead in the modern times with deep roots into their legacies, had been successful. He said that he was happy to note that renowned poet late Dr. Haribanshrai Bachhan had also written on ‘Kangra Kalam’ which was undoubtedly a great honour to the State. He advised the writers to undertake exhaustive research over all such writings by different renowned litterateurs so that people interested in knowing about Himachal could update their knowledge about the State. He hoped that the deliberations during two-day Seminar would usher into positive outcome to make Himachal Pradesh a leader in literary sector as well.
Chief Minister also released ‘Pangi Bharmour – Jeevan Aur Sanskriti’ book authored by Dr. Tulsi Raman, Secretary, Language and Culture Academy. He also honoured Padamshree Awardee Shri Vijay Sharma.
Shri Prayag Shukl, a renowned writer and former editor of Nav Bharat Times delved upon the rich cultural heritage of the State and said that a large number of internationally renowned writers had written on different aspects. He said that art and culture represented the life of people during yester years.
Smt. Manisha Nanda, Principal Secretary, Language and Culture, welcomed the Chief Minister and said that since the restoration of the historic Gaiety Theatre regular cultural and literary activities had been taking place. She said that state of the art facilities had been created to strengthen the roots of rich cultural heritage of the State. She said that Himachal Pradesh was renowned for its vivid cultural and literary heritage which was being preserved.
Dr. Tulsi Raman, Secretary, Language and Culture Academy, proposed vote of thanks.
Shri Suresh Bhardwaj, MLA, Shri Sonal Agnihotri, Superintendent of Police, Dr. N.K.Lath, Additional District Magistrate, renowned litterateurs from different parts of the country were present in the inaugural ceremony.
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