Ministry of Culture, Government of India, announced the second edition of “Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, 2016 (RSM). While announcing the second edition, Minster of State for Culture (Independent Charge) Mahesh Sharma said that the RSM was conceived by the Ministry of Culture in the year 2015 with an intent to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the country in all its rich and varied dimensions, like handicrafts, cuisine, painting, sculpture, photography, documentation and performing arts-folk, tribal, classical and contemporary—all in one place. The festival would showcase all these aspects of Indian Culture in different areas designated for the same.
There will be a ShilpHaat in which pavilions called Aaangans would be put up by each of the seven Zonal Cultural Centers (ZCCs) of the country as well as the academies and IGNCA. In this ShilpHaat master craftsmen from all over the country will display and sell their crafts to the general public. Sale of the publications of these autonomous bodies on various aspects of Indian Culture is also a salient feature here. Demonstrations of the process of creation of the wares based on their crafts by the master-craftsmen will also be done here. The Aangans will be decorated by expert traditional painters and sculptors, in styles most representative of the regions that each of the ZCCs represents. Day-long performances of traditional performers of fringe-folk arts like “behroopiyas”, “baazigars”, “kacchighori” etc will take place in the ShilpHaat and the rest of the campus. These artists are also known as “maidaani kalaakar” as they perform in the open without any need for a stage. Facing the ShilpHaat will be a food court where masterchefs of traditional delicacies from different regions of the country will treat the visitors to an unparalleled culinary experience.
There will be a ShilpHaat in which pavilions called Aaangans would be put up by each of the seven Zonal Cultural Centers (ZCCs) of the country as well as the Academies and IGNCA. In this ShilpHaat master craftsmen from all over the country will display and sell their crafts to the general public.
In the lawns opposite the “maatighar” and in the art gallery of the IGNCA, two photo exhibitions will run concurrently. One of these exhibitions is on vandalism of places of historical and national importance in order to draw public attention to this very damaging activity done by misguided and insensitive people which causes irreparable damage and loss to irreplaceable national heritage. This exhibition will be as a part of the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” of the Prime Minister of India-albeit focused on a dimension of this Abhiyaan which has till now not received its due share of attention. The second exhibition will be on the recently Concluded “Simhastha Kumbh Mela” showcasing its splendor and magnificence as well its importance in the cultural consciousness of the Nation.
Last, but not the least there will be an opulent main stage in the open air stage area of the IGNCA campus where dance and singing performances by artists of National and International stature will take place every evening from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The opening and closing programmes will be choreographed presentations featuring a fusion of folk, classical and contemporary art forms with an a real component in the opening ceremony. An ancillary stage will also be set up in the shilphaat area where daylong performances of students and different cultural groups of the city will take place. On this
stage, in a programme called “Mujhe Bhi Kuchh Kahnaa Hai” the lay visitors to the festival will also be given an opportunity to perform and showcase their talent in front of a large audience.
RSM 2016 going on in the premises of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) will continue till 23 October.