It was an action-packed Day 3 of Arth – A Culture Fest at New Delhi’s Sunder Nursery where prominent experts from political spheres came together for a discussion on India’s vision for 2024.
In one of the most dynamic sessions of the day titled ‘Road to 2024’, a group of intellectuals comprising Raghav Chadha, Rasheed Kidwai, Shazia Ilmi, Smita Prakash, and Preeti Dahiya (moderator) came together to the India’s election roadmap to 2024. From voicing their support for the Bharatiya Janata Party which works with a proper script and agenda to achieve their goals, to stating facts about the government’s contribution towards the people in terms of water connection to electricity, LPG gas to Jandhan accounts, the representatives asserted their objective for 2024 which includes more infrastructural development.
One of the most awaited panels of the day was ‘Bharat Ki Kahaani Kalakaron Ki Zubani’ where one of India’s most veteran and celebrated actor Manoj Bajpayee was in conversation with Neelesh Mishra. Talking about his movie Joram, Manoj Bajpayee said, “It is a moment of immense pride for me that ‘Joram, was highly celebrated at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. All the five shows held there were housefull, which was attended even by their local audience. Joram is a story of a common tribal man who moves to Mumbai and is compelled to run back to the jungle to safeguard his and his daughter’s life whilst searching for the person who is making their life miserable.”
Sharing his thoughts on the evolution of new-age platforms he added, “The OTT platforms, the audience, and their love is what made me Manoj Bajpayee. It is because of them the films with such exceptional and unique topics are being celebrated. Their ingenious thought process and the ability to accept change is why I am here. I believe we as artists must respect the taste and choice of the audience and this is why I always prefer to stay with them and try to know more about what my viewers want.”
The crowds were truly awestruck listening to Manoj Bajpayee. They cheered on along with him when recited the famous lines from the election campaign scene of his Gangs of Wasseypur movie.
Things got heated up in the final session of the day titled ‘One Country, One Law: Time for A Uniform Civil Code’ where a host of intellectuals debated about the country’s law and order policies with respect to the UCC.
The session featured Anand Ranganathan, J Sai Deepak, Lokesh Jindal, Saira Shah Halim, Shehzad Poonawalla, Taslim Ahmed Rehmani, Vishnu Shekhar Jain and Abhinav Prakash (moderator). From opinions about how the UCC should be discussed with stakeholders of different communities to having no blueprint of the code to follow through its implementation, the session was exceptionally lively and a treat for the live audiences.
The day and the festival culminated with the audience serenading to musical Rajasthani folk numbers by multitalented folk artist Kutle Khan and his team.
Disclaimer Note: All quotes have been excerpted from the panel discussions held at Arth – A Culture Fest on 26 February 2023 in New Delhi.
