THRISSUR: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu exhorted everyone on the need to uphold Indian culture while keeping in mind the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. He was here to inaugurate the revival performance of Ashtapadiyattam organised by the Sree Guruvayurappan Dharma Kala Samuchayam Trust at Poonthanam Auditorium in Guruvayur on Monday.
With playing the tradition percussion instrument edakka, Naidu said that “very few compositions were able to unite India, and Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda is one of them”. The revival of such an art form should be a beginning and it should be made accessible to the common man, he said.
Naidu also dedicated his one month’s salary to the functioning of the Trust for the revival of Ashtapadiyattam. “Art forms, be it music, dance or literature, are the best medium for experiencing and expressing devotion,” he said. Sharing his childhood memory of watching a movie on the life and works of Jayadeva, he said that Gita Govinda garnered wide appeal among different people in the country due to its portrayal of Radha and Krishna.
In his presidential address, Governor P Sathasivam appealed to the Education Department and institutions to include Ashtapadiyattam as a competition item in youth festivals and allow research papers on it. Art forms such as Kathakali started to fade away because only the elite class were permitted to watch it, he said.
Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma expressed his happiness over the efforts taken to revive a 12th century art form and make it easier for the public to grasp its true essence. The Centre’s grant for the Trust has been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, he said.
Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran also extended the state government’s complete support towards the revival of Astapadiyattam and also the functioning of the Trust.
Sree Guruvayurappan Dharma Kala Samuchayam Trust founder trustee E Sreedharan, managing trustee Dineshan Namboothirippad and others took part in the event. Naidu also watched a 15-minute performance of the final portion of Ashtapadiyattam, in which Jayadeva describes the various forms of Lord Mahavishnu.