Author:
Publication: The Hindu
Date: November 8, 2000
President K R Narayanan
today said to study and disseminate Sanskrit among the people, not as an
ideological fetish but as a living and rich language, would not only be
a tribute to Kalidas, but a way of preparing ourselves for the future.
Delivering the inaugural
address at the 43rd Kalidas Samaroh, Narayanan said ''in this process,
Ujjain itself will have to develop into a modern city, while maintaining
its old and rich cultural heritage.'' ''The city deserves to have a modern
theatre and a concert hall and also an airport that would connect it to
the rest of India and the wider world, he said, adding the holding of this
festival is certainly a way of developing this city.
Recalling that the first
Kalidas Samaroh was inaugurated by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first
President of India, in 1958 and the second by Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar
Lal Nehru, Narayanan said it makes me feel humble as well as proud to have
been invited to perform this August ceremony.
He said Ujjain can very
well be described as a cultural and poetic capital of India as it is associated
with giants of Sanskrit literature like Kalidas, Bhartrihari, Vatsyayana
and Hindi poets and scholars like Shivmangal Singh Suman and Gajanan Madhav
Muktibodh.
First Lady Usha Narayanan,
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and Governor Bhai Mahavir
and his wife Krishna, were also present on the occasion.
