PM Modi talks 'art, culture' with Sangeet Natak Akademi delegation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met a delegation of artistes from the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Pandit Birju Maharaj, Vishwamohan Bhatt, Ajoy Chakravarty, Aruna Sairam and Atul Tiwari were part of the delegation along with Shekhar Sen, Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi who was also present in the meeting.

"We discussed that music and dance must be developed from an earlier age and the Prime Minister agreed on promoting art and culture including classical dance. He also agreed that music must be actively taught in all schools in their respective languages," Pandit Birju Maharaj told ANI after the meeting.

He expressed contentment after the talks with the Prime Minister saying he was satisfied that their message had been conveyed.

"We conveyed that a special awareness was needed about cultural icons from different countries and our younger generation must grow up with the knowledge of music and art," Maharaj added.

President Pranab Mukherjee awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi awards and fellowships to 40 artistes including dancers, musicians, and traditional folk artists on Friday.