1. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2023 begins in Mumbai
Tags: Festivals State News
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on 11 February inaugurated the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav- 2023 (RSM) at Azad Maidan, Churchgate in Mumbai.
An overview of the news
The festival has been organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India from 11 to 19 February to promote national unity and integrity through cultural exchange.
Minister of Cultural affairs, Forest and Fisheries, Govt of Maharashtra Sudhir Mungantiwar and Minister of Tourism, Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Women and Child development, Govt of Maharashtra Mangal Prabhat Lodha were the guests of honour present for the inaugural function.
The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav conveys the message of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', which signifies that despite the many diversities in language and cultural expressions, India is united and one.
Around 1000 artists will perform during the Mahotsav for the people of Mumbai.
About 350 folk and tribal artistes from across India along with around 300 local folk artistes, some transgender and differently-abled artistes, renowned classical artists as well as renowned star artists will enthral the audience with their enthralling performances.
On April 14, a special tourist Babasaheb Ambedkar Circuit train will be inaugurated.
2. Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2023
Tags: Festivals State News
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2023 is being organised in Mumbai (Maharashtra) from 4 -12 February.
An overview of the news:
In the Kala Ghoda Festival, dance, art and music, architecture, food, handicrafts, graphics, and many other types of art exhibitions are seen.
Kala Ghoda Kala Mahotsav is an arts festival organised in Mumbai, which was started in 1999 by Kala Ghoda Foundation.
It is named Kala Ghoda because it is held at a place in the South Mumbai area where there is a statue of a black horse.
This festival is organised every year starting from the first Saturday of February till the second Sunday.
Other Festivals of Maharashtra:
Gudi Padwa
This festival is generally celebrated by Maharashtrians as Hindu New Year celebrations.
Pola Festival
It is a harvest festival and is celebrated all over the state of Maharashtra, especially in the rural areas.
Elephanta Festival
Elephanta festival is held every year in February. Elephanta is a small island near Mumbai.
Kalidas Mahotsav
The Kalidas Samaroh is held annually in the month of November in Nagpur's Ramtek area, in honour of the famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidas.
3. National School of Drama to organise the 22nd edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Tags: Festivals National News
National School of Drama (NSD) will organise the 22nd edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) from February 14 to 26, 2023.
An overview of the news
This International Theater Festival will be held in Delhi, Rajahmundry, Jaipur, Ranchi, Jammu, Guwahati, Srinagar, Bhopal, Nashik and Kevadia.
The closing ceremony will be held on February 26 at Kevadia.
This will be the first BRM after a break of two years due to Covid.
The 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav will see a scintillating display of plays and cultural performances, panel discussions on several topics of global and strategic importance of theatre in a global perspective.
The plays will be performed in 16 different Indian languages.
Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsav was established two decades ago by the National School of Drama to encourage the development of theater across the country.
It hosts theater companies from around the world, and is the largest theater festival in Asia.
It aims to strengthen international tie-ups and cultural exchange programs with other nations.
It creates a platform to know more about theater traditions across the country.
4. 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela
Tags: Festivals
Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President of India inaugurated the 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad, Haryana on 3 February 2023.
An overview of the news
The fair will be organized between 3 -19 February 2023.
This year the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is thepartner nationfor the Surajkund International Crafts Fair.
The theme state for the year 2023 is North Eastern Region (NER), while Jammu and Kashmir was the theme state for the year 2022.
Its purpose was to encourage groups of skilled artisans who used indigenous technology but were troubled by the problem of cheap machine-made imitations.
Surajkund International Crafts Mela
This fair was started in the year 1987 to promote the pool of skilled artisans.
The fair was upgraded to an international level fair in the year 2013.
The fair is organized every year in the month of February by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
Surajkund Mela showcases the richness and diversity of India's handicrafts, handlooms and cultural heritage, besides being the largest crafts fair in the world.
5. 36th Inter-University North Zone Youth Festival at Jammu University
Tags: Festivals State News
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur attends valedictory function as Chief Guest of 36th Inter-University North Zone Youth Festival (Antarnaad) at Jammu University.
An overview of the news
The festival was organized under the aegis of Association of Indian Universities (AIU) at Zorawar Singh Auditorium, Jammu University.
He said India is now the hub of ‘Start-up’ ecosystem in the world, ranking third with 90,000 ‘Start-Ups’, 107 unicorn companies worth 30 billion dollars.
1000 participants from 18 universities across the country participated in the festival.
Competing teams in the festival
University of Jammu,
Dev Sanskriti Vishavidhalya Haridwar Uttarakhand,
GADVASU-Ludhiana,
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
Doon University Uttarakhand,
University of Kashmir,
Cluster University of Jammu,
Punjabi University Patiala,
CT University Ludhiana,
IK Gujral Punjab Technical University Kapurthala,
Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, GNDU Amritsar,
Lovely Professional University, Chandigarh University, Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana,
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University Bathinda
DAV Jalandhar.
6. LG Manoj Sinha inaugurates SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2023 in Jammu
Tags: Festivals State News
_3bBHVwE.png)
Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on 4 February inaugurated the SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2023 at Aquaplex Crown at Bagh-e-Bahu, Jammu.
An overview of the news
Women self-help groups from around 25 states and union territories across the country are participating in the fair.
The 11-day fair is the first of its kind in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
This mega event will provide a platform to rural SHG women to sell and promote their self-made products and build marketing tie-ups with various sales platforms.
75 stalls and 10 food courts have been set up at the exhibition venue to display crafts, handicrafts, handlooms and delicacies.
Self Help Groups will display handicrafts, handlooms and natural food items from different rural areas across the country.
It is a national level fair which showcases unique and famous indigenous products from different states and union territories.
SARAS Aajeevika Mela
It is an initiative of the Deen Dayal Dayal Upadhyaya Yojana of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
It aims to provide an opportunity to rural women self-help groups to showcase their skills, sell products and make direct contact with bulk buyers.
This fair serves as an integrated approach for women empowerment. This has been linked with the Atmanirbhar Bharat approach.
7. 46th International Kolkata Book Fair inaugurated
Tags: Festivals State News
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 30 January inaugurated the 46th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair.
An overview of the news
The fair is being organised at Boimela Courtyard, Central Park Fair Ground, Karunamayee, Salt Lake Kolkata.
Mara José Gálvez Salvador from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports and Ambassador of Spain to India, Jose Maria Ridao Domínguez were present at the inauguration.
The fair will be open for visitors from January 31 to February 12.
Around 20 countries from all over the world are participating in the fair. Spain is the focal country for the second time this year.
The United States, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Japan, France, Cuba, Italy, Australia and many other Latin American countries will be represented at the book fair.
Thailand is participating for the first time.
The fair will have several kiosks sponsored by the Jute Board to reduce plastic and bio-toilets.
About International Kolkata Book Fair
It is the largest book fair in Asia and the most attended book fair by the people.
It is the world's third largest annual collection of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair.
The book fair was started in 1976 on a small scale by the Kolkata Publishers and Booksellers Guild.
8. 3rd Annual Orange Festival 2023
Tags: Festivals
From 24 to 25 January 2023, the third annual Orange Festival 2023 has been organised at Rasoma village in Kohima district of Nagaland.
An overview of the news
The festival is jointly organised by the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City.
The festival is celebrated to highlight the hard work of orange growers and to facilitate them to connect with the market to sell their produce.
Presently Rusoma village has about 35,000 orange trees and this enables the two-day Orange Festival of the village to host handicrafts, organic vegetables and fruits, food items, sale of orange saplings, workshops on orange and coffee plantation and "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" events. Several stalls selling signature campaigns like this were also seen.
Nagaland -
Capital – Kohima
Chief Minister – Neiphiu Rio
Governor - Jagdish Mukhi
National Park - Intanki National Park
Dam - Doyang Dam (Doyang River)
Festivals – Hornbill Festival, Angmong Festival, Myasu
9. Khadi Fest-23 inaugurated in Mumbai
Tags: Festivals National News
Manoj Kumar, Chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, inaugurated the Khadi Fest- 23 which will run from January 27 to February 24, 2023 at the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Headquarters in Mumbai.
An overview of the news
Events and exhibitions like Khadi Fest, Khadi Institutions, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program - PMEGP and Fund Scheme for Regeneration of Traditional Industries - SFURTI units provide a platform to bring thousands of artisan products directly to the customers.
The fest will showcase apparel made of Khadi, Pashmina, Kalamkari, Phulkari, Tussar silk, etc while Dry-fruits, Tea, Kahwa, Honey, Bamboo Products, Carpets, Aloe Vera Products and others will be up for sale.
On 2 October this year, Khadi India's Delhi outlet created an all-time record of selling Khadi worth Rs 1.34 crore in a single day.
Last year, there was a record sale of one lakh fifteen thousand crore rupees of Khadi and village industry items.
Apart from this, the Khadi Fest-2022 held on 3rd October registered a sale of Rs.3.03 crore.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
The Khadi Village Industries Commission was established in 1957 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act 1956.
It is under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
It is responsible, along with other agencies, for the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in rural areas.
KVIC Chairman: Manoj Kumar
10. J&K govt to host its maiden SARAS Fair 2023 from February 4 to 14
Tags: Festivals State News
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is going to host the Saras Mela 2023 from February 4 to February 14 for the first time.
An overview of the news
The fair would be organised at Bagh-e-Bahu, Jammu.
In the fair artisans and women self help groups from across the country will showcase their crafts, handcrafts, handloom and foods.
The national level food and cultural fair will showcase unique and famous indigenous products from different states and union territories of the country.
The event will provide a platform to the participants to sell and promote their self-made products.
Another prominent feature of this national fair is that it will have cultural programs showcasing the cultural and traditional heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is organised under the guidance of the Ministry of Rural Development.
The fair is organised jointly by the Centre-State Government as part of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in which entrepreneurs from across the country participate.
