the goan I network
MARGAO
Art and Culture Minister, Govind Gawde on Thursday said the Tourism and Art & Culture portfolios should be presided over by a single Minister, saying both Tourism and Art and Culture are inter-related and should be held by one person.
That’s not all. The Art and Culture Minister further said that though the silvery beaches and casinos has lured visitors to Goa, promotion of the State’s art and culture can give a big boost to tourism in the State’s hinterland.
Speaking to the media while announcing the three-day national tribal festival of theatre, music, dance & crafts of India at Barcem-Quepem, beginning from Friday, the Art and Culture Minister said that hinterland tourism can receive a big boost with the promotion of art and culture by developing folk art and local artistic talent. “I am confident that Goa’s hinterland tourism can be developed by promoting art and culture. If the beaches and casinos have attracted tourists to Goa, art and culture has the potential to take tourism to the hinterland,” he added.
Gawde pointed out that a single Minister presiding over the Tourism and Art & Culture portfolios can give a big boost to tourism as well as art and culture. “Both departments are closely related to each other. A single person at the helm of both the departments can help coordinate the activities of both tourism and art and culture,” he added.
Gawde said that Art & Culture Minister has taken up a number of steps having tourism potential, such as Maand scheme, which will preserve the folk art form alive.
Meanwhile, Gawde has said that more than 400 tribal artists from across the country are participating at the AdiRang Mahotsav “ the three-day National Tribal festival of Theatre, music, dance & crafts of India at Barcem-Quepem. He said AdiRang festival is being organised for the first time in Goa by the National School of Drama at the government primary school ground, Shirlim-Barcem. The festival is being organised by the National School of Drama, New Delhi in collaboration with Directorate of Art and Culture. The participating states include Tripura, Odisha, Sikkim, Assam, West Bengal, Telangana, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Ladakh (J&K), Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Goa.
On this occasion, a national seminar will also be organised on “importance of music and dance” in tribal performing arts, where ideas will be exchanged freely and thoughts on topics of folk art & traditional performances will be discussed at length.
