Centre to woo minorities with cultural festival

New Delhi: There will be antaraas and alaaps, mystical bauls, soulful thumris, rhyming ghazals, lyrical couplets of qawwali and sufiana kalams, all hitting the right note for harmony at “Sada-e-Sadbhav”, an initiative of the Modi government to bring together such musical forms, portraying country’s rich culture and tradition, at one platform.

Exemplifying “Unity in Diversity,”  ‘Sada-e-Sadbhav’ will see “known and unknown” artists from various states including Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, North-east, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, perform at one platform. The initiative of the minority affairs ministry is part of its “Hamari Dharohar”, a scheme to preserve the “rich heritage of minority communities” the country “under the overall concept of Indian culture.” Other than artists from the minority communities, non-minority artists would also participate in these events, which will be held at different parts of the country.

“Each and every state of this country has a rich tradition and music and folk songs are part of it. This “Sada-e-Sadbhav” will help bringing all this diverse culture at one platform to showcase and strengthen the well practised concept of unity in diversity,” said minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Artists like renowned poet Bashir Badr, Rahat Indori, Gulzar, Sabri Brothers among others, have been included in this initiative, who would also perform at these events. The first program of ‘Sada-e-Sadbhav’ would be held at the Old Fort in the national capital soon and would then be held at different cities across the country.

Sabri Brothers

Another initiative of the ministry “Hunar Haat” had won appreciations where craftsmen from the minority communities, from across at the country, had showcased their crafts at the last year’s edition of the India International Trade Fair. Crafstmen were provided free of cost stall and the ministry had made arrangements for their transport as well as their daily expenses.

The second edition of this ‘Hunar Haat’ is currently on  with the theme ‘craft aur cuisine ka sangam’  and almost 13 lakh people have visited the venue just six days. Mr Naqvi also launched a Facebook page of the ‘Hunar Haat’ today.