'Deep Dharohar': Reviving folk tradition of Diwali celebration

With an aim to revive the lost classical and folk traditions of the festival Diwali and promote and conserve India's diverse heritage, the Ministry of Culture on Friday organised here an event "Deep Dharohar".

To be held till October 17, the festival was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

The event began with the minister, along with artisans and children from organisations like Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), SAPNA, Prayas and Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation, lighting around 1,000 "diyas".

During the event, the minister also released a book titled "Living Traditions, Tribal and Folk Paintings of India", published under the matrix of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" by the Cultural Mapping team of the Ministry of Culture and CCRT.

With around 50 stalls, the festival is showcasing the rich repository of red, grey and black ware potters, reed (sikki) artisans, rural sculptors, Madhubani, Gond, Phad and Pattachitra art, lacquer workers, bell-metal and bamboo artisans.

The five-day event has also other attractions like cultural shows presented by reputed artistes from across the country, who were selected during the talent hunt carried out under culture mapping, Children's Corner with interactive sessions on the potter's wheel, rangoli-making, Deepawali jewellery-making with terracotta beads and flowers, sikki-toy making and papier-mache crafts.

Apart from these, art and theatre workshops on clean (swachh) Deepawali will be held every day and a two-day workshop on film-making will also be conducted on October 14 and 15.

--IANS

som/nir