Prof Saubhagya Vardhan is new NZCC director

Chandigarh

9 February 2018

DIVYA AZAD

The North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Patiala, gets its new director in Professor Saubhagya Vardhan, who assumed charge in the Patiala head office here on Wednesday, February 7.
Interacting with Media after taking over the reins of the centre, he said The NZCC will try to revive the age-old Guru-Shishya tradition, the warp-n-woof of Indian cultural heritage and social ethos, which has been on verge of extinction. We tend to forget that our gurus are the ones who sculpt finest artists out of us. We later forget their role in shaping our destiny. We shall identify them and bring them to mainstream so as to produce more artists under their watch.
Hailing from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, Professor Vardhan said, The state of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Chandigarh are the jurisdiction of NZCC and we have plans to protect and preserve the folk art and traditions of these states and save them from slipping into obscurity. We shall constitute special committees to do the ground work of identifying the young talent and sending them to learn under the stewardship of gurus, thus help reviving the age-old guru-shishya tradition
An author of five reference books Professor Vardhan further stated, To check the situation in J&K, people need to connect themselves with their cultural roots. They need to have more cultural interaction with the other states of the country, so as to develop a bond of mutual trust and faith. Emphasizing on the importance of art, culture and music in building better harmony and understanding between individuals, Mr. Vardhan further said that there is an urgent need for building a healthy relationship between people of various states of the country for reinforcing the essence of India Unity in Diversity. This would be a right step in this direction.
The NZCC Director said with a certain amount of confidence, A Tribal Festival at Jammu starting from February 24 is being organized, and we shall reach out to the people of the state with a goodwill message well before it commences. We shall go there spread a message of mutual brotherhood and bonhomie. This is an initiative aimed at reaching out to the people there and involving them in the national cultural activity.”
It must be noted that Professor Vardhan is the first Chandigarh-based NZCC Director. He concludes that the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Patiala takes care of seven states including Chandigarh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakhand and Rajasthan and our aim is to strengthen the artisans and folk singers in the area to retain the diminishing folk lore and art of India.