Agartala, Aug 5 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Tuesday that culture plays the most important role in achieving mental and spiritual peace, and efforts should be made to showcase the traditional mixed culture of the state to the world.

The Chief Minister, while speaking at the first meeting of the reconstituted State-level Cultural Advisory Committee at the civil secretariat, said that culture is the ornament of a society.

Saha, who also holds the Information and Cultural Affairs portfolio, is the Chairman of the 39-member State-level Cultural Advisory Committee, which guides the government to undertake various cultural activities, festivals, besides holds workshops for artists and performers.

“It is necessary to take steps to modernise our own culture with innovative thinking in line with the present. Efforts should also be made to nurture and care for the traditional mixed culture of the state. In this regard, efforts should be made to maintain the traditional culture of the ethnic groups and bring innovation in cultural activities. Only then can the youth be attracted to our traditional culture,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi often emphasises skill development and, therefore, it is necessary to emphasise skill development in every field, including culture.

“Special emphasis should be placed on skill development and attractive presentation of artists from any field in the state. Talented artists should be found from the village level and provided with necessary support,” said Saha.

The Chief Minister said that traditional cultures like Kirtan (devotional singing), puppet dance, and Yatra (folk-theatre) are getting lost due to the pressure of modernity, and efforts should be made to revive them through innovative thinking.

In the meeting, Secretary of the Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department Dr. Pradeep Kumar Chakraborty, Director of the Department of Tourism Prashant Badal Negi, Director of the Department of ICA Bimbisar Bhattacharya, Vice Chairman of the State-level Cultural Advisory Committee Subrata Chakraborty, and others were present in the meeting.

–IANS

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