The Tripura Government will take a lead role in transforming the well known Alpana Gram into a Shilpo Gram – a village of arts and crafts – cashing on the artistry of the women of the village.
The initiative will enhance the socio-economic condition of the women as well as the society, said Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Thursday.
He was addressing a Border Area Programme as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at bordering Lankamura village near Agartala on Thursday.
Alpana Gram became famous for its colourful motifs and sacred arts using fingers and traditional paintings. Especially, during the Bengali New Year – in April – women of the village paint their court-yards, house-walls etc with vivid and glowing art-works. Alpana is a rural art form.
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In the programme. Artists from the Alpana Gram along with Assam, Manipur, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand staged cultural programmes highlighting the spirit of Unity in Diversity.
“The state government has taken initiatives to ensure an all-round development and uplift the socio-economic status of the people living in the bordering areas,” Chowdhury said in the programme.
The Information and Cultural Affairs Minister stressed the need to ensure cultural exchanges with the artists from other parts of the country.
In this context, he called upon the people to know the cultures of other states and highlight the state’s cultures before them.
Chowdhury said unity in diversity is a feature that has made our country unique in the world. India is a confluence of different communities, religions, food habits, languages, rituals and cultural practices.
The Border Area Programme was jointly organized by the North East Zonal Cultural Centre, the Ministry of Culture and the Information and Cultural Affairs Department.
Speaking on the occasion, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) Dipak Majumder explained the objective of observance of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and said, the programme aims at harnessing the unity and nationalism among the citizens through exchanges of cultural activities, customs etc.
