Vice President of India inaugurated the 3rd edition of Lokmanthan today morning in the premises of Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati. The event saw the presence of several eminent dignitaries.
The event began with the lighting of the lamp alongside a traditional Bodo performance. Following was another cultural presentation by the Gayans and Bayans representing the Satra traditions. J. Nandakumar, the national convener of Prajna Pravah delivered the welcome speech of the event. He invited all the participants, performers, panelists and guests to take an active part in all the decisions.
Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the Vice President of the country to the event on his first visit to the region, hoping that he will visit again in near future. He emphasized on renewal of the traditional knowledge and culture of the state. The fact that the Indian culture predates the modern day political systems, which were created by the colonial rulers, also found its place in his speech. The awareness of the individual traditions and customs of each community to build a stronger India was another key point.
The Governor called Lokmanthan 2022 as the churn of the culture of the nation. And from this event people will rediscover the hidden gems of the multiple communities of the country. The philosophy and math of ancient India was way ahead of the European colonizers. He emphasized on the ideologies of the freedom fighters of the country to build a strong country despite the differences.
The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar revealed two books before his speech. The first one entitled Lokparampara is a compendium of the traditions as a souvenir of the event. In Pursuit of a Dream was the name of the second book. It is collection of 25 speeches given by the Assam CM about how he plans to take the state among the top five.
In his speech, he mentioned the art of discussion, debate, dialogue and communication. Along with tolerance and understanding, these become some of the key requirements of a society. He emphasized the role of the educationalists, researchers and intellectuals in the development of the country.
Read more about Lokmanthan here.
Feature Image by Abhijit Bose.
