Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi presented ‘Sri Sri Sankardev Sri Sri Madhav Dev Award 2018 and 2019’ to Padma Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh and Padmashree Jatin Goswami respectively at a function held in Madhavdeva Auditorium of Guwwahati on Tuesday.
Krishnam, a socio-cultural organization of Guwahati has conferred the coveted awards to them.
Attending as the chief guest in the award function of ‘Krishnam National Classical Dance Festival’, the Governor said, “Classical dance is a form of dance which is performed under some strict rules and orders.”
“These rules and regulations are like grammar of a language,” he added.
These dances are superior than any folk-dance and possess higher aesthetic essence, he added.
“They are rich, meticulous, refined and give higher aesthetic beauty,” the Governor remarked.
“The feelings of Rasa in the human mind are expressed through some systematic procedures, some physical gesture, indications, hand movements etc which is called Nritya in Indian term,” he opined.
“However, the basic of the Indian classical dance form is the various folk-dances performed since time immemorial,” he further said.
The Governor hailed the great saint Srimanta Sankardeva and his principal disciple Madhadeva, the progenitors of Neo-Vaishnavism.
He said to carry forward the holistic movement they had penned holy books and created many things amidst very adverse situation.
Both wrote songs and drama apart from religious works.
Eventually, the Neo-Vaishnavism had transformed into cultural and spiritual revolution.
The Governor congratulated exponent of Indian classical dance Padma Vibhushan Dr Sonal Mansingh and prominent Indian dancer and choreographer of Sattriya dance Padmashree Jatin Goswami Dev for promoting the rich Indian traditional culture before the world.
He also thanked them and extended his best wishes.
He also congratulated Kashmiri Hazarika Kakati for writing a book on ‘Sattriya Ojapali’.
The dance festival was attended by the First Lady of Assam Prem Mukhi, commissioner and secretary, Cultural Affairs Pritam Saikia along with a host of other dignitaries.