Exhibition, culture program on Dard Aryans of Ladakh held

By Reach Ladakh Correspondent New Delhi, Aug 03, 2022
New Delhi :

Celebrating 75 years of India's independence, an exhibition and cultural event on Dard Aryans of Ladakh was held at Indira Gandhi National centre for the arts (IGNCA).

The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. Sachchadanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA on August 2. The exhibition features photographs of the Dard Aryan Valley, Ladakh, depicting landscapes, rock art, architecture, and their colourful lifestyle. The exhibition is open to the public from August 3 to 11.

Jaya Jaitly was a special guest on the occasion. Prof. Ramesh C Gaur, HOD, Kalanidhi, Prof. Achal Pandey, HOD, Conservation, and Prof. Richa Kamboj HOD, Kaladarshana graced the occasion along with the faculty and staff of IGNCA.

A cultural evening was hosted by the prestigious National School of Drama, New Delhi.

Virendra Bangroo gave an overview of the socio-historic and socio-cultural heritage of the Dard Aryans. Virendra Bangroo, a scholar at IGNCA has traversed the length and breadth of the Himalayas and works with the ethnic communities at the ground level.

Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, applauded the Dard Aryan for safeguarding their distinctive cultural traditions despite the region's challenging climatic circumstances.

In January 2019, Arya Utsav was held at IGNCA which highlighted the cultural traditions of Ladakh's Dard Aryans. The festival featured cultural programs, documentary screenings about Dard Aryans, public lectures, and a one-day seminar on Ladakh's Dard Aryans. The event was curated and coordinated by Virendra Bangroo.

Also, for the 1st time, an academic seminar was organised by IGNCA in Delhi. Young scholars from Aryan valley, Ladakh attended the seminar. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) also hosted an exhibition in 2019, during the university's Golden Jubilee celebrations.