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Gandhinagar, Nov 22 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday inaugurated the 2025 edition of the Tana Riri Mahotsav in the historic city of Vadnagar and urged citizens to strengthen India’s cultural and artistic heritage by adopting indigenous traditions.
The annual music festival is jointly organized by Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi and Mehsana District Administration under the Department of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities.
At the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister presented the prestigious Tana Riri Sangeet Samman Award to renowned classical singer Kalapini Komkali for her contribution to Indian music.
Speaking at the inauguration, CM Patel said that Vadnagar – home to a 2,000-year-old civilizational heritage – has always been a center of devotion, service and artistic excellence. He described legendary sisters Tana and Riri as shining symbols of India’s musical heritage and said that, like them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a native of Vadnagar, embodies the ethos of “nation first” through tireless service.
The Gujarat Chief Minister said that PM Modi has taken several initiatives to revive and showcase the cultural and archaeological heritage of Vadnagar.
The city now houses a state-of-the-art archaeological museum, while sites associated with the prime minister’s childhood – such as his primary school and the old railway station where he once worked – are being redeveloped.
Under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan scheme, major heritage sites like Sharmistha Lake, Tana Riri Park, Lateri Stepwell, Ambaji Kotha Lake and parts of the fort wall in Vadnagar are being restored. A light-and-sound show has also been launched at the ancient Hatkeshwar temple to highlight its history for the visitors.
Highlighting the richness of India’s musical traditions, CM Patel said that music is also used in therapeutic treatments today and emphasized that the Prime Minister has made the long-term preservation of cultural heritage a national priority.
Linking the government’s goal of building a developed India by 2047 with the revival of traditional arts, he urged citizens to protect local art forms, adopt indigenous practices and contribute to the vision of a self-reliant India.
The inaugural evening featured performances by award-winning Kalapini Komkali, renowned sitar player Niladri Kumar and singer Ishani Dave who enthralled the audience with classical, instrumental and folk performances.
The festival commemorates the historical incident in which Tana and Riri, daughters of Sharmistha, the granddaughter of saint-poet Narsingh Mehta, sang Raga Malhar to cool the fire that broke out due to the rendition of Tansen’s Raga Deepak. The event was institutionalized in 2003, and the Tana Riri Sangeet Samman was instituted in 2010 during PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat.
The inauguration was attended by ministers Jitu Vaghani and Hrishikesh Patel, community leaders Somabhai Modi, district officers, MLAs, Chairman of Vadnagar Municipality, members of Sangeet Natak Akademi and a large gathering of music lovers from Vadnagar and Mehsana.
–IANS
PGH/UK