India News | Nearly 1,250 Artistes Take Part in Cultural Extravaganza at Opening of IECC Complex

New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) The Culture Ministry showcased a bouquet of performances with nearly 1,250 artistes from across the country taking part in a cultural extravaganza at the opening of the IECC complex here on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex on Wednesday and unveiled its new name -- Bharat Mandapam.

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The revamped IECC complex at Pragati Maidan was developed as a national project at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore and has a campus area of approximately 123 acres.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by around 3,000 guests including Cabinet ministers, captains of industry, film personalities and others.

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On this occasion, the Ministry of Culture, through its Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Zonal Cultural Centres presented a bouquet of cultural programmes with the participation of around 1,250 artistes, bringing out the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', the ministry said in a statement.

Traditional musical instruments such as nadaswaram, thavil, panchavadyam, chenda, dappu, lezim, nashik dhol, Gujarat dhol, chattri, dhak dhol, nagara, shankh and ghant were used in the performances held against a backdrop of images from Indian mythology and of deities like Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha.

More than 300 school children from Vidya Bharti sang "Ananda Loke" of Rabindranath Tagore as part of the performances held in the foyer to welcome Prime Minister Modi, officials said.

The stage performances included dhrupad by Sammit Mallik and group and a confluence of Indian classical dances such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Odissi, the statement said.

The fifteen-minute performance 'Ojasvi' was a choreographic dance presentation to the music of Shankar Mahadevan and Ricky Kej-Surya, Ganesha and Nataraja incorporating Chhau, Kathak, Odissi, Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance forms by Santosh Nair and his Sadya group from Delhi.

"Dhanya Bharatam song in Hindi rendered in the Powada or Marathi folk singing style by Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva awardee Nandesh Vatsala Vitthal Umap accompanied by about 20 dancers representing various folk and major performing art forms imbued everybody with a sense of patriotism," the ministry added.

There were also about 28 spot performances featuring various folk and tribal art forms, creating a carnival-like atmosphere all around the 'Bharat Mandapam', it said.

After the 'havan' which was held earlier in the day, there was a flute ensemble rendered by Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Chetan Joshi and his group which set the tone for the day's events. Around 150 of the invited artists attended the 'havan', the statement said.

Modi on Wednesday performed “pooja” at the redeveloped India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) complex at the Pragati Maidan here ahead of its official inauguration.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)