As part of the second installment of the ‘Kala Utsav’- an initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), a divisional level event was today organised by the Directorate of School Education here at Gulshan Ground Jammu.Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Pawan Kotwal was the chief guest on the occasion.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kotwal said that this initiative will help students explore, understand and showcase living art traditions. Through Kala Utsav, students will get the opportunity to understand and celebrate cultural diversity at school, district, state and national levels, he added.Dr Kotwal further said that such initiatives not only spread awareness among students, but also create awareness of India’s cultural heritage and its vibrant diversity amongst other stakeholders. He appreciated the students for their vibrant effort and encouraged them to actively participate in co-curricular activities alongside their studies as they help in overall development of the child.
Kala Utsav initiative has been started with an aim to promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of secondary level school students. Kala Utsav has also been envisaged as a fully integrated platform to mainstream students with special needs (differently abled and from diverse socio economic backgrounds) and celebrating their abilities.This year’s theme of Kala Utsav is ‘Living traditions of tribal, folk and traditional arts of different regions’.India is a land of performing and visual arts, some of which are gradually fading out from the mainstream. Though these art forms are in the category of our living traditions at present, but if not given due attention, these might disappear in due course of time.This year’s installment is focused around preserving and reviving these arts and traditions.As part of the event, competitions were organized in music, dance, theatre and visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, crafts) categories.Project Director SSA/RMSA, Sougat Biswas, Director School Education Jammu Smita Sethi, other officials and a large number of students were present for the event.