Sangeet Natak Akademi Organizes ‘Shakti – A Festival of Music and Dance’ in Shaktipeeths (GS Paper 1, Arts & Culture)
Why in news?
- The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) is organizing the festival ‘Shakti – A Festival of Music and Dance’ from April 9 to 17, 2024.
- The festival is celebrated in seven different Shaktipeeths (sacred sites) across the country.
- The event is being organized under the Kala Pravah series to revive the temple traditions in the country during the auspicious Navratri period.
Inauguration and Venue
- The Shakti Utsav was inaugurated on April 9, 2024, from the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
- After the inauguration, the festival will be organized in the following seven Shaktipeeths:
- Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati (Assam)
- Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur (Maharashtra)
- Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangada (Himachal Pradesh)
- Tripura Sundari Temple, Udaipur (Tripura)
- Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha (Gujarat)
- Jai Durga Shaktipeeth, Deoghar (Jharkhand)
- Shaktipeeth Maa Harsiddhi Temple, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)
- The festival will conclude on April 17, 2024, at the Shaktipeeth Maa Harsiddhi Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
About Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA)
- SNA is India’s largest national-level academy of music and drama, established by the Government of India.
- The academy was established in 1953 through a parliamentary resolution and was later reorganized in 1961.
- SNA is the apex body in India dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the rich intangible heritage expressed through music, dance, and drama.
- The headquarters of SNA is located in New Delhi, and it functions as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.
- SNA is managed by its General Council, with the Chairman appointed by the President of India for a term of five years.
- The academy plays a vital role in promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of India.
- SNA presents the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to artists under the age of 40 who have excelled in dance, music, and theatre.
- The current President of SNA is Dr. Sandhya Purecha.
Conclusion
- This festival organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi showcases its commitment to reviving and preserving the rich cultural traditions of India, particularly the temple traditions associated with the Shaktipeeths.
