First Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav Concludes 'First Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav' organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India at IGNCA, Janpath, New Delhi concluded here today. 8 days long most diverse and first of it's kind National Cultural Festival was inaugurated on November 1, 2015. Secretary (Culture) Shri N. K. Sinha hosted the closing ceremony. Other prominent dignitaries and foreign delegates also graced the occasion. The festival saw a cultural extravaganza including hours of daily cultural performances from 10 AM to 6:30 PM at the Aangans and from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Main Stage. The events presented a cultural confluence with 150 Art forms, performances by more than 1500 Artists; 32 forms of Paintings, Visual arts, 400 Master Craftsmen; Cuisine by traditional Master chefs. 7 Aangans by the Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC's) offered the visitors a range of artifacts, handicrafts like Haveli paintings from Punjab, Rogan artworks from Gujarat, Banaras silk, Kalamkari (hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile), Tanjore paintings and many more. The Food Court at the festival offered the visitors a range of traditional Indian dishes from different parts of the country including Kheema ki Lukhmi, Dum ka Chicken and Dum ki Biryani from Hyderabad, Nargisi Kofta, Murgh Yakhni, Rista and Gostaba from Kashmir, Thaalipeeth, Misal Pav, Batata Wada and Masala Bhaat from Maharashtra, Patthar ka Ghost- Spicy Mutton cooked on a thick stone slab from Telangana and more such dishes like Matka Roti, Vegetarian Marwari Platter, etc. Activities for school children including Poster making competition, Cultural Attire- fancy dress competition, face painting, folk performances (Singing/Dancing/Instrumental) and on the spot photography competition along with various workshops including Origami, Block Printing, Puppetry, Mask Making and Pottery/ Clay Modeling were also the part of the festival. Starting from Bihu of Assam, Aji Lamhu from Arunachal Pradesh, Sarlamkai from Mizoram, Wangala of Meghalaya, Dang of Gujarat, Dhekni or Ghode Modni from Goa, Dummy Horse & Nyandimelam from Tamilnadu, Panthi Dance from Chhatisgarh and much more, the festival witnessed high energy & intensity filled performances by a number of Maidani Kalakar and artists from 7 Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) including Patiala, Udaipur, Thanjavur, Kolkata, Nagpur, Dimapur and Allahabad. The 8 days festival witnessed live performances by a number of renowned Indian artists like Gurdas Maan, Sharda Sinha, Sandeep Mahavir, Roopkumar Rathod & Sunali Rathod, Malini Awasthi and Taufiq Qureshi. The closing ceremony also witnessed a soulful performance by renowned Sufi singers - the Wadali Brother's.
