look news india
New Delhi, September 18 (HS). The fifth 'River Festival' is being organized by the National Cultural Mapping Mission (NMCM) and Janpad Sampada Division of Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) from September 19 to September 21. In this festival, scholarly discussions with environmentalists and scholars on various topics, film screening on the story of rivers, workshops for children, book fair, presentations by renowned artists and a unique photo exhibition on boat construction are being organized. This festival will be inaugurated by Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Professor Anil Kumar, Head of Janpad Sampada Division of IGNCA, said that rivers have a very important place in Indian culture. In our country, rivers are not only considered sacred and revered, but are also the basis of life for crores of Indians. Civilizations have developed on the banks of rivers. Many rivers are now on the verge of extinction, in such a situation it is very important to create awareness among people for its conservation. River Festival will generate this curiosity among people.
In this program, former Sarpanch of Harsil, Uttarakhand, Basant Negi, head of Parmarth Niketan and spiritual guru Swami Chidananda Saraswati will be present as the chief guests.
There will be three types of exhibitions in the 'River Festival'. A photo exhibition will be held on the Kangsabati river and its culture. Apart from this, a photo exhibition showing all the aspects related to boat construction and an exhibition of paintings made on rivers by school children of Delhi will also be held. Apart from this, cultural programs will also be organized daily in the festival. Artist Vikram Bhandral will give a special presentation of Himachali folk songs. Apart from this, Guru Kasturi Patnaik and his team will present Odissi.
It is noteworthy that this excellent initiative was conceived by Dr Sachchidanand Joshi to create awareness and sensitize people about their ecology and environment. The 'River Festival' started in 2018, with the inaugural event being held in Nashik city of Maharashtra, located on the banks of the Godavari River. The second 'River Festival' was held in Vijayawada city of Andhra Pradesh, located on the banks of the Krishna River and the third 'River Festival' was held in Munger city of Bihar, located on the banks of the Ganga River. The fourth 'River Festival' was held in Delhi.