Aiming to build valuable people-to-people connect as a shared goal, Sanskruti Centre has been marking the occasion since 2018 engaging with different countries…Asian Lite News
The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a United Nations observance for promoting intercultural dialogue was celebrated at the House of Lords recently. Titled Sauharda- Building Bonds for Sustainable Development, the event was organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence and hosted by Baroness Verma, UK’s former Minister for International Development and currently Chancellor for Roehampton University. The role of culture and art in fostering mutual understanding, the spirit of harmony and raising awareness was highlighted on the occasion attended by Diplomats, Ambassador and High Commissioner of Chile, Belize and Japan.
Aiming to build valuable people-to-people connect as a shared goal, Sanskruti Centre has been marking the occasion since 2018 engaging with different countries. The vibrant program included showcasing of diverse cultural expressions, traditions and Indian art forms beginning with invocatory dance by young performers Devanshi Uppula, Diya Shanmugam, Sanvitha Gunda and Diya Viswanath. Mohiniattam by Manju Sunil, Karagattam by Soundarya Gokulnath, Jhijhiya by Lakshmi Aveen, and Goan Dekhni by Dr Bernadette Pereira, Paulo Dias, Sonia Da Veiga and Norman Cortez captivated the attendees. Cueca- the traditional dance of Chile by Daniel Perez Munster- Sergeant in Chilean Navy and Aghata Perez Astorga added radiance to the event. Ragasudha Vinjamuri presented Bharatanatyam on Earth Anthem, written by former Ambassador of India to Madagascar Abhay Kumar.
Opening words were rendered by Baroness Verma who emphasised on the importance of understanding the cultural diversity and its role in fostering peace. She commended the vital work Sanskruti Centre is doing in engaging with different countries and communities, bringing them together for an increased understanding and appreciation of diversity. Speaking on the occasion, Her Excellency Therese Rath, High Commissioner of Belize highlighted how indentured workforce contributed to the diversity of their country. “Belize ranks 25th in the Happiness Index out of 140. It is the wonderful kaleidoscope of skin colours adding to the cosmopolitan nature of the country” she said.
Her Excellency Prof. Ximena Fuentes, Ambassador of Chile and former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, presented several interesting aspects of her country. In her speech she said “Today is a cheerful and important occasion to present the multicultural society of Chile, along with fascinating facts that are lesser known about us. Contrary to popular belief, it is actually Chile that has the oldest mummies in the world found in the Atacama desert. The thinnest and longest country with Andes mountains, Patagonian Fjords, indigenous populations and several nationalities make it very diverse and special”.
Dr Rosalin Patasani Mishra who flew in from India spoke on Odisha’s centuries-old sacred tradition of Mahari, a dying art form. Dr Srinivas Yanamandra, Research Fellow at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad gave a closing note highlighting language, mannerisms, refined speech and responses as integral part of culture. He then emphasised the importance of embedding the principles of speech in encoding algorithms of Generative AI for exchanging ideas both in physical and digital lives. Program was anchored by Radhika Joshi and concluded with Vote of Thanks.
