Tirupati street plays highlight heritage preservation, development

The street plays performed by artistes on heritage, development and cleanliness received a rousing response in Tirupati.

The series of street plays was organised by the Tirupati regional centre of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), functioning under the Union Ministry of Culture as part of the ongoing ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’. The IGNCA chose street plays to convey the message to the audience with the aim of creating public awareness on the need to preserve India’s rich cultural, historical and heritage wealth.

The artistes performed a skit to explain the importance of preserving the country’s cultural roots, historical monuments, temples and traditional art forms, folk traditions and heritage values. The main essence of the street plays was that development should not be limited to physical and economic progress alone.

The plays were performed with the support of Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC) and National Sanskrit University (NSU) at locations such as Prakasam municipal corporation park, Vinayaka Sagar, Babu Jagjivan Ram park, Kapila Theertham junction and Eat Street.

“Emphasis was laid on the role of youth in understanding their cultural roots and developing a sense of respect, pride and responsibility towards the country’s rich heritage,” said K.T.V. Raghavan, director of IGNCA Tirupati regional centre.

The theme and format of the street play was conceptualised by the Ministry of Culture to be presented across the country in various Indian languages.