New Delhi, 03 April (H.S.):

Delhi’s Minister of Art, Culture and Language, Kapil Mishra, on Friday inaugurated the “Indraprastha Cultural Festival” at the India Habitat Centre here. Organised by the Delhi Government over three days, from April 3 to 5, the festival is bringing together over 100 eminent speakers, more than 50 cultural performances, literary sessions, youth town halls, and special exhibitions to present India’s civilisational heritage and contemporary cultural debates on a single platform.

In his inaugural address, Mishra said that the choice of the name “Indraprastha” was in itself a cultural statement. He described the festival as an attempt to re‑establish Delhi’s historic and civilisational identity, which he claimed had long been presented through a narrow, reductive lens. The platform, he added, aims to restore a fuller understanding of the city’s layered past and its place in India’s broader civilisation narrative.

Mishra lauded the efforts of Sangam Talks and all associated participants in creating a forum where dialogue is grounded in facts, reasoning, and evidence. “Platforms where discourse is based on facts, logic and evidence alone are the ones that guide society in the right direction. When discussions move forward with a scientific approach and evidence, confusion and falsehood automatically begin to fade,” he said.

Highlighting Delhi’s multicultural identity, Mishra described the city as a “mini India,” serving as a focal point for cultural expressions from every part of the country. “The festivals and traditions of different regions are visible here in their widest and most vibrant form. This is the real identity of Delhi, and our government is consistently working to strengthen this very idea,” he added.

Recalling key cultural initiatives undertaken by the Delhi Government in the past year, he cited the large‑scale Deepotsav on Kartavya Path, the grand Chhath Puja celebrations on the banks of the Yamuna, the expansive organisation of Tij and Navratri, and the active involvement of students in cultural events at universities as examples of renewed energy and scale in the capital’s cultural calendar.

Mishra noted that the Indraprastha Cultural Festival marks an important beginning, where historians, writers, artists and literary figures from across India are converging on one stage. “This three‑day event at the India Habitat Centre is an opportunity for citizens to participate, engage and learn about Delhi’s true history—one that has not been adequately foregrounded for a long time,” he said.

Stressing the importance of ideological discourse, he argued that when societies engage in discussions rooted in facts, reason and truth, misleading trends cannot sustain themselves. Such dialogue, he added, helps build a positive and responsible cultural consciousness, one that can anchor public life on a more stable and informed foundation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar