India''s cultural diversity must be celebrated thru'' enhanced

: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday called for celebration of India's cultural diversity through enhanced exchanges between people in the country.

Participating in a function here, he said mutual understanding and trust have always been the foundation of India's strength.

"For this to happen, we must open our doors and our hearts to people of all faiths, cultures and regions", Naidu said after presenting the Hamsadhwani Thyagaraja Award to violin maestro M Chandrasekharan.

Citizens should feel culturally integrated in all corners of India, he added.

"We need this sense of understanding especially now, when a large number of rifts threaten to divide us and fragment the bonds of socio-cultural cohesion," he said.

 

"Our cultural diversity is a delight and must always be celebrated through enhanced exchanges and reciprocity between people of different States and Union territories," he added.

Noting that India is famous for its 'splendid' culture in which different religions, races, communities, sail in one ship, he said, "our culture and values are our identity and it is what makes unique."

Naidu said India's cultural diversity must always remain the vehicle of unity, peace, prosperity and joy.

The Vice-President said even though people in the country speak different languages, eat different food and wear different clothes, one must acknowledge that fundamentally it is 'one nation, one people'.

Schools must sensitise children to different cultures through frequent exchanges of cultural programmes, he said.

Naidu also called for use of technology in facilitation of cultural exchanges and in preserving unique aspects of India's culture.

He invoked Tamil poet Pungundranar famous line "Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir" which means "we belong to all places and to everyone", and said this sense of belonging would permeate India's consciousness and move forward in its quest for prosperity, peace, harmony and welfare of the world.

It may be recalled the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to these lines while addressing the 74th session of United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2019.