Governor inaugurates the grand 40th Chakradhar Festival
The great resolve of the Chakradhar Festival is to connect with the golden memories of the past and preserve our invaluable heritage: Governor Shri Deka
A grand start to a 10-day journey of a wonderful confluence of faith, culture, literature and art with the worship of Vighnaharta
A stage will be provided to local folk artists, from classical music singing and playing
Raipur/ The Chakradhar Festival connects us with the golden memories of the past and is a great resolve to preserve our invaluable heritage. The dream that Raja Chakradhar Singh saw from the land of Raigarh to take art and culture to the new generation, this festival is a symbol of that dream. Governor Shri Ramen Deka today inaugurated the grand 40th Chakradhar Festival organized in Raigarh district and addressed the program. During this, he worshiped Lord Ganpati and paid homage to the music emperor Raja Chakradhar Singh by remembering him.
Governor Shri Deka said that we are celebrating the golden journey of 25 years of Chhattisgarh as a silver jubilee and during this, the contribution of the Chakradhar Festival in enriching the culture of Chhattisgarh is leading. Shri Deka said that Assam and Chhattisgarh have a very deep relationship and during the British period, people from this state went to Assam. He said that the efforts made by Shrimant Shankardev in the preservation of literature and art in Assam, the same efforts were made by Maharaj Chakradhar from the land of Raigarh. Shri Deka said that an award will be given in the memory of Raja Chakradhar Singh in Assam.
The Governor said that the land of Raigarh is an invaluable heritage of Indian classical art and culture. The imprint of the Raigarh Gharana is not only in the country but all over the world. Raja Chakradhar Singh gave new heights to Kathak dance and gave a new direction to music and dance through his compositions Nartan Sarvaswa, Taltoya Nidhi and Rag Ratna Manjusha. He said that art awakens the emotions within us and makes life beautiful. When people are moving away from culture in the race of modernity, such events keep us connected to our roots. The Governor said that as soon as we take the name of Raigarh, we see the sweetness of music, the rhythm of dance and the colors of art in our minds. This is the land where the shehnai of Bismillah Khan, the flute of Hariprasad Chaurasia and the melodies of the great personalities of the literary world including Pt. Jasraj have resonated. On this special occasion, he gave his best wishes to the people of Raigarh to preserve and promote this great tradition.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the 40th Chakradhar Festival, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the biggest strength of Indian culture is its unity in diversity. He said that since ancient times, genres like music, dance and literature have been flourishing under the patronage of kings and it is these traditions that have given India new heights.
While paying homage to Raja Chakradhar Singh, he said that when only the Jaipur and Banaras gharanas were famous in Kathak, at that time he enriched Indian culture by establishing the Raigarh gharana. Shri Shekhawat said that today this ceremony is a glorious opportunity to remember his personality and work. He said that under the capable and strong leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, Chhattisgarh is getting freedom from the Naxal image and the state is now making a new identity in the field of culture and tourism. He said that the state, which was once seen from the point of view of backwardness while struggling with Naxalism, is now making its mark at the world level due to its folk arts and tourist places. Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Shekhawat said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is going through a phase of cultural renaissance. Our folk arts, folk dances and folk traditions are being re-preserved and strengthened. Shri Shekhawat expressed confidence that Raigarh will be soaked in cultural colors for the next ten days and artists from India and abroad will make this historical event even more grand through their art.
Finance Minister Shri O. P. Choudhary said that solid efforts are being made to give the Chakradhar Festival a national level recognition. Along with this, the development works are continuously gaining momentum in Raigarh, which is strengthening the cultural and social identity here. Shri Choudhary said that the work of continuously developing the major centers of faith, tourist places in Chhattisgarh is being done with the cooperation of the central government. He said that a special amount has been allocated for many development works including Bhoramdev temple with the cooperation of the Union Minister.
Rajya Sabha MP Shri Devendra Pratap Singh extended his best wishes to all on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. He said that the guests who came from Delhi today have made the Chakradhar Festival dignified. Shri Singh said that the music emperor Raja Chakradhar Singh gave a new identity to Kathak dance. He gave prestige to the Raigarh Gharana through systematic training and established it on the international stage. He specifically mentioned that it will always be remembered as a golden chapter in history that a Gond tribal king took Kathak dance to this height. Raigarh MP Shri Radheshyam Rathia said that the prestige of Raigarh is increasing more with this grand event and the cultural heritage here is getting a new identity.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Shri Tokhan Sahu, Agriculture Minister and Minister in-charge of the district Shri Ramvichar Netam, Minister of Culture, Religious Trusts and Endowment Shri Rajesh Agarwal, MP of Janjgir-Champa Lok Sabha constituency Smt. Kamlesh Jangde, Mahasamund MP Smt. Rupkumari Choudhary, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Chunnilal Garasia, Mayor of Municipal Corporation Shri Jeevvardhan Chauhan and other public representatives, officers, employees, dignitaries and a large number of spectators were present on the occasion of the Chakradhar Festival.