Munish Sood
MANDI:
The Mandi unit of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) organised a special felicitation ceremony to honour artists, writers, dramatists and cultural contributors who have played a significant role in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the region.
The event brought together eminent citizens, literary figures, theatre personalities and art lovers from across the district. As a mark of recognition, INTACH Mandi honoured the selected artists and writers with mementos, citations and traditional shawls.
Welcoming the chief guest, INTACH-Mandi convener Naresh Malhotra said that encouraging creative talent and bringing local art forms into the public spotlight has always been a core objective of INTACH. He noted that such recognition not only boosts the morale of artists but also helps them reach new heights in their creative journeys.
Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, in his presidential address, reaffirmed the district administration’s commitment to the preservation and development of Mandi’s art, culture and heritage. He made special mention of the renowned ‘Mandi Kalam’ art form and said that the administration has prepared several plans related to its promotion, which will be implemented in the coming months.
Devgan further assured that with active public participation, the district administration would extend full support to all cultural initiatives aimed at safeguarding Mandi’s diverse heritage. He encouraged artists, writers and theatre practitioners to continue their efforts in nurturing local art forms, assuring them of every possible administrative assistance.
Co-convener Anil Sharma, while thanking all participants, said that INTACH would continue to support creative individuals and cultural workers and would regularly organise such platforms to promote heritage conservation and artistic expression.
Awardees across cultural fields
In the field of painting, Parul Kapoor, Praveen Rawat, Gaurav Sharma and Kritika Kapoor Bisht were honoured. For literary contributions, Dilip Modgil, Indu Vaidya and Satya Mahesh Sharma received recognition. Local folk dance exponents Suman Pandit and Isha Dogra were also felicitated.
For efforts in Tankri script preservation, Parul Arora was honoured, while Deep Kumar received recognition for promoting the Mandiyali dialect. In the field of theatre, Daksha Upadhyay and Roop Upadhyay were awarded.
Poets Dr Mast Ram Saini, Latesh Kumar Sharma and Surender Pal Vaidya were honoured for their contributions to poetry. For preserving the history of local deities, Tarachand Patial and Kapil Chatterjee were felicitated.
The ceremony was attended by INTACH-Mandi officials, including Kamalkant Sharma, along with Dr Harish Behl, Gajendra Behl, Harish Sharma, Rajeev Kumar, Capt. Yogendra Chandra Vaidya, Lalit Kapoor, Engineer Kamal Malhotra, Mahesh Puri, Sonia Behl, Indu Sharma, Banita Malhotra, Hemlata, Nishi Kapoor, Neeraj Sharma and Prem Varsha.
Prominent literary personalities, including Mandiyali poet Vinod Behl, Sunita Tandon, Rajeev Kapoor, Shamsher Singh, Umesh Sharma and Umesh Bhardwaj, were also present.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is one of the country’s leading non-profit organisations working in the field of heritage conservation. Established in 1984, INTACH focuses on protecting tangible and intangible heritage, including monuments, traditional art forms, local languages, scripts, folk traditions and cultural landscapes.
Through its chapters across the country, INTACH actively engages with communities to ensure that India’s diverse cultural legacy is preserved for future generations.
