By Our Correspondent
SAMBALPUR: Our ancient art and culture prove that our folk culture never dies out, but rather it keeps reviving in new forms over time, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while attending the closing ceremony of the “5th National Sambalpuri Sammelan” organized by the ‘Paschimichanchal Ekta Manch’ in Sambalpur on Tuesday.
Shri Pradhan said that as per the words of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to make India a ‘Developed India’, we have to come out of the ‘Macaulay mentality’, the symbol of independence. T.B. Macaulay tried to weaken our language, literature and education system to mislead India’s ancient culture. But now a fundamental change has come in the country. According to the new National Education Policy, all mother tongues of India are the national languages. In this context, Sambalpuri language is also a glorious national language. Language never creates division, rather it unites culture. Our language, literature and culture are our real identity. It is our real responsibility to preserve this culture and to adopt our mother tongue free from the influence of Macaulay’s education policy.
Shri Pradhan further said that many great personalities have contributed to introducing our land and language to the world. Gurushri Satyanarayan Bhatadar’s contribution to the language and the temperament of poet Gangadhar Meher are invaluable assets of our literature. Padma Shri Haldhar Nag has taken this genre to a new height through his pen. Padma Shri Kirtartha Acharya has enriched our weaving industry and made Sambalpuri clothing world famous. Due to these great personalities, our art and culture are today glorious all over the world. The picture of unity and solidarity that is seen on this stage today is the result of the tireless efforts of ‘Paschimichanchal Ekta Manch’. This ‘National Conference’ is a welcome step to give a special identity to Sambalpuri language and art at the national level.
The history of Sambalpur before the construction of the Hirakud Dam is very ancient. The architecture of Bhimmandal and Sambalpuri temples is a witness to our glorious past. There is ‘rock art’ or rock paintings dating back about ten thousand years, on which the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is currently researching. Shri Pradhan expressed the hope that the National Sambalpuri Conference will play a leading role in taking forward all these issues.
