‘Shabdotsav 2026’, the three-day cultural and literary festival began in the national capital on Friday, in the presence of Union Minister of State (MoS) Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, cabinet minister Kapil Mishra, and several prominent leaders associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
MoS Harsh Malhotra, addressing the gathering, lauded the literary event as a “microcosm of Indian culture” and recalled the values and traditions associated with the world’s oldest and still the most prosperous culture. He said that there is no doubt that thousands of years ago, when India was a world leader, people from all over the world came to Nalanda and Takshashila for research.
He further stated that Modi government has introduced crucial changes in the new Education policy, which aim to instill Indian culture in the youth alongside education. The Union Minister further said that India is a country of unity in diversity, a phenomenon not seen anywhere else in the world.
“The country has more than 340 vibrant languages and over 1,600 dialects. This is a testament to India's rich culture,” he stated. Delhi minister Kapil Mishra claimed that in the past few years, attempts were made to turn the capital into a “hub of ideological terrorism”.
“Art and culture in Delhi had either disappeared or were moving in an anti-national and anti-religious direction. Today, under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, efforts are being made to restore this,” he remarked. Minister Kapil Mishra said that in the last 10 months, the Department of Art and Culture has organised several grand and magnificent programmes, which were never seen during previous governments.
“In this context, a programme like 'Shabdotsav' in Delhi is very important. We have resolved to free Delhi from Naxalite ideology, false history, and anti-religious thinking. We will make every possible effort for this,” he further said. Describing the programme as ‘surgical strike’ on jihadi and Naxal ideological terrorism, he said that those people deciding to pick the gun may be based on someone’s provocation, but the idea first originates in the mind of the individual.