Balrang gets off to a vibrant start; kids shine

BHOPAL: Balrang Mohotsav 2019 began at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalay on Thursday with vibrant performances by students from Madhya Pradesh. The programme was jointly inaugurated by Directorate of Public Instruction Commissioner Jaishri Kiyawat, Head of the Office, IGRMS, DS Rao and Rajeev Singh Tomar, Joint Director, Bhopal Division, DPI.In her address, DPI Commissioner Jaishri Kiyawat said, “Rashtriya Balrang is a platform which showcases cultural diversity of the country and various stages of its development. Balrang has made its national identity in its own creative and unique way. It is a grand festival of learning and talent which exhibits cultural heritage, folk dances, songs and art. It is heartening to see that students are exhibiting their talent in the cultural heritage.”Students from 13 states across India are participating in this grand three-day event. Competitions are divided into literary and cultural events like debate, madarsa, elocution, calligraphy, essay writing, qawwali, group dance and music, poetry recitation, classical dances, yoga and folk dances.On the inaugural day on Thursday, state-level children's competitions were held. In this, school children at the divisional level presented attractive cultural presentations. Indore division got first place in the presentation of various divisions in the state-level cultural competition. It will represent Madhya Pradesh in the national folk dance competition to be held on Friday and Saturday.Apart from these, two annual exhibitions — ‘Samarth’ and ‘Laghu Bharat’ — continued to attract an audience. Where Laghu Bharat showcased cultural and historic heritage of various traditions, Samarth Bharat elaborated on government schemes and developments.The students showcased the heritage in a creative manner using handmade models. These stalls had important monuments, popular fabrics, traditional cuisines from different states of the country. In these stalls, students also put up cultural dances from the states of Gujarat, Chandigarh, Haryana, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tripura and more. Through such activities, children are equipped with values of shared culture, heritage and national unity.Balrang, as an annual event, provides a creative opportunity to young minds to learn and inspire from cultures across India through different activities and competitions and promote the idea of an integrated India.