The special dinner hosted by President Draupadi Murmu for G20 leaders on September 9 evening will witness a musical performance showcasing ancient classical instruments such ‘Ravanahatha’ and ‘Rudra Veena’ among others.
The ceremonial dinner to be held tonight at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the G20 Leaders Summit in the national capital will celebrate the country’s rich musical heritage – a mix of different styles of classical and contemporary music.
The performance ‘Bharat Vadya Darshanam’ — Musical Journey of India — by the ‘Gaandharva Aaradhyam’ group will be showcased during the dinner hosted by President Draupadi Murmu.
The 18th G20 Leaders Summit has brought together leaders from the world’s 20 major economies.
“The three-hour-long performance at the G20 special dinner during the special dinner will see ancient musical instruments like “Ravanahatha” to “Rudra Veena,” as well as the tabla and piano being played,” Minister of State Meenakashi Lekhi told ANI.
“We have the legacy of Hindustani and Carnatic music Specially abled artists will also perform at the dinner hosted by President Murmu. This would be a very proud moment for all of us,” Meenakashi Lekhi said.
Earlier today Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally welcomed global leaders and heads of State at the venue with handshakes and hugs.
PM Modi expressed confidence that the gathering of world leaders will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development
The theme of this year’s G20 Summit, which is taking place under India’s presidency, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future” – is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.
Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life—human, animal, plant, and microorganism—and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India.
The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comoros), and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, and Japan Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, UAE, Brazil, Indonesia, and Turkey Spain, Germany, France, Mauritius, the European Union, and Singapore.
National Award winner Girraj Prasad exhibits terracotta craft at G20 Crafts Bazaar
Girraj Prasad, a laureate of the National Award and the Delhi State Award exhibited his work at the crafts bazaar set up in the G20 Summit venue, Bharat Mandapam.
Terracotta is one of the most ancient traditional art forms that has evolved together with human civilisation.
Sharing the details about his art he told ANI, “This art has been practised in my family for four generations and is a very old art. Pottery has been used and created in India since the time of Mohan Jodaro. In terracotta, cooking utensils that we use on a daily basis, as well as other products such as lamps are manufactured by us from ancient times to the present. Products have been newly modified along with the recruitment of the time.”
“This is a very good opportunity to show our culture to all our delicates who will come to G20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given encouragement to the pottery artisans to do this work through Make in India, Vocal for Local. There has been a lot of increase in the number of workers,” Girraj added.
He concluded, “G-20 is going to help us in a way that the glory of our art will spread all over the world. Earthen utensils are absolutely related to our health and environment. It keeps us away from many diseases.”
Terracotta artefacts are manufactured from clay. It is then moulded into different shapes and art forms and after that baked in traditional furnaces powered by coal or wood.
Girraj Prasad was born in 1965 in Rajasthan’s Karouli village to a traditional terracotta family. He’s been in the business for 36 years.
The 18th G20 Summit is being held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.
Handloom-made cushion cover draws attention at G20 Summit exhibition
G20 Summit has given an opportunity to weavers to showcase their handloom art at the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition and Convention Centre. A fascinating handloom artwork contemplating intricate craftsmanship has been exhibited at the Convention Centre.
Neelam Kaushik working as a Junior Assistant in Weavers’ Service Centre Delhi is drawing attention to her cushion covers developed from Spun Silk yarns with the help of interlock technique. She has 25 years of experience of weaving different items like bedsheets, cushion covers and woolen shawls.
Neelam Kaushik says, “The handloom clothes which we wear are made using a loom. I have come here at G20 summit to showcase cushion covers developed with Spun Silks by interlock technique. In this we have to increase and decrease each thread. I wish to showcase this at G20. Recently we had Handloom Day and PM Modi encouraged us and we have confidence that the handloom industry would flourish in future. Currently power looms are being used but handloom will definitely survive in future.”
The cushion Cover developed with Spun Silk yarns is inspired by geometrical theme.
“It has a multi coloured triangular pattern in the whole body developed by insertion of different colour yarn manually with interlock technique,” Kaushik said.
Interlock weaving is a technique in which different colour yarn is inserted manually in at single pick to give compound texture. The cushion is being woven on Wooden Frame loom made in the Weavers Service Centre, Delhi.
Spouses of G20 leaders will inaugurate an exhibition dedicated to India’s civilisation prowess and artistic excellence, titled ‘Roots and Routes’ today at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
The curator of the Exhibition ‘Roots and Routes’ at NGMA, Raghvendra Singh, told ANI, “It is an attempt to curate the scattered pieces representing our culture. The grandiose of our heritage is on display.
Showcasing our roots has further enhanced the prestige of our art show. We wanted to put up a world-class exhibition for the world leaders.”
The exhibition showcases Indian textiles, decorative items, and artefacts. This exhibition delves into India’s rich cultural heritage, ethos, and interconnectedness, tracing its cultural wonders through archaeological artefacts, literature, numismatics, epigraphy, and paintings.
(with inputs from ANI)
