State Government to Preserve the Legacy of Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai, Who Brought Pandwani Global Recognition
Lokkala Alankaran Award in Teejan Bai’s Name to Be Presented from This Year, Her Native Village Ganiyari to Be Developed as Kala Gram
Chief Minister Announces Incentive of Rs. 25,000 Each for 70 Troupes Participating in the Mahasammelan
Banbarad Middle School to Be Upgraded to High School, Bituminous Road to Be Built from Ahiwara Railway Crossing to Atal Parisar
Raipur. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai attended the Pandwani Mahasammelan organised at Banbarad village in the Ahiwara Assembly constituency of Durg district on International Artists’ Day. Addressing the event, he stated that Chhattisgarh is a land rich in folk arts and culture. Our folk arts are a living expression of our history, values and cultural identity. Preserving them and passing them on to the next generation is our collective responsibility. The state government is continuously working to preserve and promote folk arts, encourage artists and provide them with wider platforms.
Welcoming folk artists from across the state, he said Chhattisgarh had produced many great artists whose talent and dedication had earned the state’s folk culture recognition across India and the world.
Remembering renowned Pandwani artist Padma Vibhushan Smt Teejan Bai, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said her exceptional dedication to the art had given Chhattisgarh’s Pandwani a distinct global identity. Pandwani is a unique folk art form in which the artist brings the Mahabharata and its characters to life through singing, acting and expressive gestures. Teejan Bai brought honour to Chhattisgarh by presenting this remarkable art form on numerous stages around the world.
The Chief Minister said the state government is taking important steps to preserve Teejan Bai’s memory and pass on her rich cultural legacy to future generations. Her native village, Ganiyari, would be developed as an art village, and the village’s high school would be named after her. He said the state would confer a Lokkala Alankaran Award in Teejan Bai’s name during Rajyotsav from this year. Besides honouring her extraordinary dedication to the art, the award would inspire the state’s folk artists to carry forward their traditional art forms.
Appreciating the contribution of Gyanshrot Kala Manch, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said an organisation’s sustained work for the preservation of folk arts and culture over 46 years is a significant achievement. The organisation had played an important role in keeping Chhattisgarh’s folk arts alive, providing artists with a platform and connecting the younger generation with its cultural roots. He congratulated Padma Dr. Usha Barle and everyone associated with Gyanshrot Lok Kala Manch on the successful event.
The Chief Minister said the state government is also creating new opportunities for Chhattisgarh’s artists and film industry. The Chhattisgarh Film Development Board had been constituted to provide a wider platform for Chhattisgarhi cinema and local artists. Work is underway to develope a Film City in Nava Raipur. This would encourage Chhattisgarhi cinema and other film production activities, while creating new employment and creative opportunities for the state’s artists and youth.
Responding to the organisers’ request, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced an incentive of Rs. 25,000 each for the 70 troupes participating in the Pandwani Mahasammelan. Along with Pandwani artists, these included four Panthi and three tribal dance troupes.
Addressing local demands related to education and infrastructure, the Chief Minister also announced the upgradation of Banbarad Middle School to a high school and the construction of a bituminous road from Ahiwara railway crossing to Atal Parisar.
School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav said the state’s artists had played an important role in promoting Chhattisgarh’s culture. Folk art forms such as Pandwani, Panthi, Bharthari, Dadariya and Suwa are an integral part of life and social traditions. They are more than songs and dances, they represent Chhattisgarh’s cultural soul. He urged artists to keep the tradition of the Mahasammelan alive with the same enthusiasm in the years ahead.
MLA Rikesh Sen also addressed the programme. In her welcome address, Padma Dr. Usha Barle drew the Chief Minister’s attention to various demands concerning artists.
Durg Rural MLA Lalit Chandrakar, Saja MLA Shri Ishwar Sahu, other public representatives, folk artists from different parts of the state and a large number of distinguished citizens were present on the occasion.
