CHANDIGARH, Oct 17: "It is high time to have a cultural policy for Punjab and I request the Punjab Arts Council to initiate moves in this direction, initially by organising seminars on this topic. The soul of a place and the identity of its society lie in the culture of the people," expressed former prime minister I.K. Gujral after laying the foundation stone for the auditorium at the Punjab Kala Bhawan in Sector 16 this evening.The auditorium was the only part of the complex that was left unfinished due to the shortage of funds. And the present team at the council intends to complete this dream project of the late M.S. Randhawa. Appealing to the NRIs, the secretary-general of the council, H.S. Bhatty said: "You donate in bulk to gurdwaras and schools. Please start donating for the propagation of art and culture too." The estimate amount needed to complete the construction is around Rs 2 crore.
It was a star-studded affair as far as the literary realm is concerned. The dais had big guns like Mulk Raj Anand and Bhisham Sahni, though the organisers registered Sahni's presence at the end and garlanded him then. Also present on the occasion were Surjit Patar and Satinder Singh Noor. The council honoured well-known literatteur Pritam Singh, kathak danseuse Shobha Koser and artist Meher Singh on the occasion.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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