(Celebrating Year of Connecting the World through Ramayana- 2024)
New Dehli.The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs is entrusted with the task of mutual cultural exchanges by promoting Indian culture abroad and showcasing world culture to Indian audiences. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is proud to announce the celebration of the “Seventh Edition of the India International Ramayana Festival”, themed on the relevance of yearlong Festival ‘Year of Connecting the World through Ramayana-2024’. The event will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, on Thursday, 18 January, 2024, at 11.30 am on the premises of iconic historic Purana Qila, New Delhi. The Director- General of ICCR, Shri Kumar Tuhin will also be in attendance. A vast and appreciative participatory audience, comprising members of the Diplomatic Corps, art connoisseurs, prominent scholars, dignitaries drawn from professional walks of life, as also members of the public, among others, have expressed their interest in joining in the celebrations.In keeping with the invaluable life lessons derived from Ramayana which transcends time and culture, this year, in a significant departure from earlier years, the said festival has been scheduled into a year-long programme of cultural and academic activities, beginning from January 2024 till December 2024, based on this celebrated Rama and Ramayana. The curtain raiser showing at this much-awaited round of festivities is the staging of ballet performances by prominent Indian and international dance-drama troupes, from 18-21 January, 2024 from 5-7 pm daily on the premises of Purana Qila New Delhi. Alongside talks and ballet performances, an eye catching display of arts and crafts, in a series of interactive Art and Craft Exhibitions, have been arranged for the same duration from 11.30 am till 7.00 pm daily. The latter activities will be on view as day-long attractions, culminating in the evening’s staged performances, after sundown. Apart from the celebratory output of the India International Ramayana Festival, the enduring and year-long connectivity among the participating troupes is in keeping with the Jan Bhagidari Scheme, riveted to the motto of collective participation. The ‘Ramayana’ festivities under this umbrella, also advocate the ideals of the Prime Minister’s initiative of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas Sab Vishwas’. The Festival is thus a reinforcing mantra for uniting all regions of the country, as also extending links between participating international groups with one another, through their individual interpretations, thereby providing a multi-pronged platform for connecting the world wherever there is an association, through the Ramayana. The second phase of these celebrations will coincide with a staging of the cultural performances in Lucknow (21st – 22 nd January) followed by a week long demonstration of the International component of the Ramayana Festival at select spots in Ayodhya, from 22 nd January till 29th January, giving audiences and visitors to the holy site an additional window of engagement with the International Ramayana theme. During the period, through April and May, the festival activities will concentrate on the holding of conferences, seminars, and exhibitions, at Indian cultural centres abroad, so as to widen deliberations on the Ramayana, with the views of renowned Indian and International scholars on the subject. In addition to public interactions, a concerted programme of documentation, examining various aspects of the Ramayana through scholarly papers, publications and books will be held. The ongoing calendar of stage performances will include productions by Ramayana cultural delegations from Almora, Ramnagar as also at locales with UNESCO-based Intangible Heritage links with the Ramayana tradition, in India and abroad. The calendar of travel exhibitions of Ramayana artworks, contemporary and traditional, classical and tribal, will be on show at select platforms nationally and worldwide. The programme schedule of the cultural events from 18-21 January 2024 from 11.30 am to 7.00 pm at Purana Qila New Delhi is attached.
