Government panel holds meet to plan 'Cultural Harmony Conclave'

New Delhi: The first meeting of government's high-level committee on 'Cultural Harmony Conclave' was held here today and the panel decided to organise the maiden event in the national capital in the next three months.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Renowned artists like sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, actor Tom Alter, singers Penaz Masani and Hans Raj Hans, poet Ashok Chakradhar, lyricist Sameer, writer Rumy Jafry, DG ICCR Amarendra Khatua and others are the members of the committee.

"The ministry has been planning to organise the first conclave at Delhi's Purana Quila. The maiden event is expected to be held towards the end of April or in the first week of May," ministry sources said.

The committee will chalk out a framework for the entire process including nature of the programme, its schedule and list, participant musicians, lyricists, dancers, singers and other artists who will partake in the programmes, an official statement said.

The ministry plans to organise such events, being planned as part of the government's 'Hamari Dharohar' (Our Heritage) scheme, in other metro cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru and other places too, sources added.

After the meeting, Naqvi said India is enriched with talent in the spheres of art and culture, music and literature, which he added, can become effective mission of social and cultural harmony.

"Every corner of our country is full of rich and exquisite cultural heritage, different languages, traditions and messages of cultural harmony. It is the need of the hour to provide a platform and an opportunity to these talents," he said.

He said the central scheme aims at providing a stage to not only eminent but those artists who have not yet got a platform to showcase their talent.