Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that music and dance can provide relief from the anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Launching the virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance’ organised by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations on Tuesday, the Vice President said that music and dance make our lives more fulfilling by rejuvenating and energising us.
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“Music and dance can bring harmony into our lives and nourish our inner spirit by dispelling gloom and despair, he added.
Noting that the pandemic has caused the theatres and auditoriums to remain closed for the past few months impacting the performing arts industry, Naidu wanted the artists and institutions to leverage technology and find new avenues to propagate and preserve the tradition.
He also said that there could not have been a better time than now for holding this dance and music festival as the normal life has been disrupted by lockdowns, economic downturns and lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic.
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The festival has been organised to coincide with the World Day for Audio-Visual Heritage on Tuesday.
Referring to Samaveda and Bharatamuni’sNatyashastra, the vice president said India has a glorious tradition of music and dance.
“India’s diverse art forms of dance, music, and drama represent our common civilizational philosophy and values like harmony, unity and solidarity. There is also a distinct focus on devotion, spirituality and there is an entire gamut of expressions of nine ‘Rasas’ that constitute human existence,” he said.
Naidu said that people must constantly review and renew traditional treasures.
He also wanted systematic incorporation of these elements in the education system to sustain the ‘parampara’ (tradition).
“Making performing arts as a compulsory part of the curriculum would help students to become confident, shed inhibitions, explore hidden talents and nurture creativity,” he added.
Terming the public-private-partnership as the need of the hour, the vice president appealed to all industry leaders to promote art, culture and sports to equip the new generation of India for a better future.
Raja Reddy, Radha Reddy, the legendary Kuchipudi dance couple, Lakshmi Puri, former UN assistant secretary-general, GMallikarjunaRao, chairman, GMR group attended the online event.