The 14th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav will be organised from February 25 to March 5 at Karni Singh Stadium in Bikaner by the Union Ministry of Culture. The nine-day cultural extravaganza will see artistes from across India participating in the event, Kiran Soni Gupta, Director of West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, said, adding that on February 27, President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the festival.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Culture Minister Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Culture and Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal and Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi will be present during the inauguration ceremony. Meghwal said that this festival is a unique effort to bring recognition to India's various arts, cuisines and handicrafts in one place, according to an official statement by West Zone Cultural Centre. Gupta, the cultural centre's director, said that renowned artists from across the country will present folk dance, music, and dramas at this festival. During this, along with sand sculpture, an exhibition based on crafts and other arts will also be organised.
She said that the festival will also give new heights to local tourism and art culture. The nine-day event, a flagship festival of the Ministry of Culture, aims to preserve, promote and popularise the rich cultural heritage of India, the statement said. More than 50,000 people are expected to reach the festival every day. The festival will begin on February 25 with a procession from Junagarh Fort. After this, an art exhibition will be inaugurated and then bamboo instrument-based music will be presented in the evening.
'Kaladarshanam' art camp will be started on the second day of the festival. On the same day, a presentation will be given by the Punjab Police Cultural Troupe. Besides, there will be an attractive presentation of Krishna Tubhya Namah, the statement said. The next day there will be a performance of 'Desert Symphony' by renowned artist Anwar Khan, it said.
