Bhubaneswar, Mar 20: Indian culture has always attracted global interest from ancient times. It has moved out of the mainland and created new hues across the globe, opined speakers at an international conference which will conclude on Monday. The three-day conference on ‘Indian Cultural Heritage: Past, Present and Future’ is organised by Utkal University in association with Institute of Media Studies (IMS) and supported by ICCR.
Inaugurating the conference, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said multi-faceted and multi-layered Indian culture has constantly regenerated itself through the centuries. “Indians are also the largest diaspora in the globe. Our young generation need to be rooted in our culture, rediscovering and reassessing our cultural heritage with its language, literature, religious faith, architecture and festivals,” he said.
The conference aimed at promoting the rich and diversified cultural heritage of the country as well as strengthening the cultural exchanges and retying the knots with SAARC countries. Convenor of the conference Upendra Padhi said the meet provides a platform to discuss, debate, exchange ideas and viewpoints leading to a better understanding of Indian culture, carrying forward the essence and securing its future. While at least 60 papers were presented by scholars from various countries on Sunday, 13 universities from various parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have participated.
Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahatab, former chairman of Lalit Kala Akademy Dr Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty and former Professor of University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka Dayaratne Edirisinghe also spoke.
