Pranab to take part in closing event of culture festival

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee will attend the closing ceremony of the ongoing Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsava on Monday that will draw curtains on the 10-day cultural extravaganza at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA).

Organised by the ministry of culture, the RSM is a festival to celebrate cultural diversity of India. This is the second edition of the festival that was conceived by the culture ministry last year.

An impressive crowd of visitors have come to IGNCA to witness this diversity of the country’s handicrafts, cuisines, paintings, sculptures and performing arts.

Lok Sabha MP and popular Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tiwari also performed live on stage. About 400 artistes from across the country have been performing folk and tribal dances. There are over 45 food stalls to showcase the country’s culinary diversity.

“Such an event is unique both in terms of diversity & impact and effectively takes the message of unity and diversity for the nation and especially for the country’s youth,” said defence minister Manohar Parrikar who visited the IGNCA on Thursday.

Home minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated the festival on October 15.

THIS IS THE SECOND EDITION OF THE FESTIVAL THAT WAS CONCEIVED BY THE CULTURE MINISTRY LAST YEAR