THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DELHI

• Chairman,    Festivals    &    Awards,    Legends    of    India, Ambassador Lalit Mansingh,

• Founder   Chairman,   Legends   of   India,   Shri   Di-payan Mazumdar,

• Distinguished Awardees and guests,

We are gathered here, not merely, to honour individual artists, but to recognise, the civilisational inheritance, they represent, and the living traditions, they have sustained, through a lifetime of discipline, imagination and devotion.

Music, dance, theatre, and visual arts, are not simply, forms of entertainment, or artistic expression. They are, repositories of our history, imagination, and collective memory. As our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, has observed, “Culture is, a sublime expression, of a people; and, the foundations, of a society.”

India’s cultural diversity, has always been, one of its greatest strengths. Our classical music and dance, theatre, sculpture, and visual arts, have evolved over centuries, drawing from different regions, languages and communities. Yet their strength, lies in their ability, to transcend these differences. A dance performance, theatre, or a work of art, can communicate emotions, and ideas, without requiring us, to share the same language, or background.

The arts are therefore, powerful instruments of social, and cultural dialogue.

At a time when technology, is changing how we communicate, and consume information, preserving these traditions, becomes even more important. But preservation, cannot mean keeping culture, frozen in the past. It means, creating conditions, in which tradition, remains relevant, while giving the next generation, opportunities to experience, learn and reinterpret it.

This connects naturally, with Shakti ki Saptdhara vision, particularly its emphasis, on knowledge, and cultural strength. India’s rise, must be accompanied, by a confident cultural identity, rooted in heritage, yet open to the world. Our cultural traditions,

can serve as, an important bridge, between India and the global community, strengthening the country’s soft power, and enriching, the world’s understanding of India.

The Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards, instituted in 2002, have recognised distinguished practitioners, of India’s cultural traditions. By honouring artistic excellence, these awards help ensure, that valuable knowledge, and traditions, are remembered, respected and passed on.

This evening, we honour Guru Shri V. P. Dhanan-jayan and Guru Smt. Shanta Dhanan-jayan, for their contribution to Bharat-natyam; Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, for his mastery of the sitaar, and Hindustani classical music; Shri T. H. Vinaya-kram, for Carnatic Classical music; Shri Margi Madhu, for his contribution,

to India’s theatrical traditions; and Shri K. S. Radhakrishnan, for his contribution to Indian sculpture.

Each represents, a different tradition, but a common thread, connects them: decades of discipline, dedication, and unwavering commitment, to their craft. Artistic excellence, does not emerge, overnight. It is built through patience, practice, mentorship and the willingness, to continue learning.

This is an important lesson, for the younger generation. In a rapidly changing world, new skills are essential, but so are perseverance, depth, and dedication, to a craft. Our responsibility is, to create stronger links, between young people, and cultural traditions, through lectures, performances, workshops, discussions, and opportunities, to learn from practitioners.