Music, dance can provide relief from the anxiety caused by COVID-19: VP

The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu said that music and dance can provide relief from the anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launching the virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance’ organised by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations, the Vice President said that music and dance make our lives more fulfilling by rejuvenating and energising us. They bring harmony into our lives and nourish our inner spirit by dispelling gloom and despair, he added.

He appreciated Natya Tarangini for organising the ‘Parampara Series’ continuously for the past 23 years and adopting innovative efforts to make it happen for the 24th year in difficult times like this. ‘Parampara’ means ‘tradition’, the transmission of cultural treasure house from one generation to the next, he added.

Naidu said that there could not have been a better time than now for holding this dance and music festival as normal life has been disrupted by lockdowns, economic downturns, and lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic.

It may be noted that this festival has been organized to coincide with the World Day for Audio-visual Heritage today.

Referring to Samaveda and Bharatamuni’s Natyashastra, the Vice President said that India has a glorious tradition of music and dance. He said that India’s diverse art forms of dance, music, and drama represent our common civilizational philosophy and values like harmony, unity and solidarity. There is also a distinct focus on devotion, spirituality and there is an entire gamut of expressions of nine ‘Rasas’ that constitute human existence, he added.

The Vice President said that we must constantly review and renew our traditional treasures. He also wanted the systematic incorporation of these elements in the education system to sustain the Parampara.

Making performing arts a compulsory part of the curriculum would help students to become confident, shed inhibitions, explore hidden talents and nurture creativity, he added.

Stressing that in current times, the world needs a message of harmony within the body and an ability to live harmoniously with others and an ability to live harmoniously with everyone around us.

The Vice President said the pandemic has demonstrated to humankind the dangerous consequences of disrupting nature and its habitat. In this regard, he called for keeping environmental protection and sustainability at the core of every action of individuals, communities, organizations and governments.