BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): None of the four artistes and litterateurs who have been declared as recipients of Padma Shri award this year has been invited at the inaugural function of the 40th Foundation Day celebrations of Bharat Bhavan, beginning from February 13.
Among them Rai dancer Ram Sahay Pandey has had a long association with the multi-arts complex. He had attended Bhavanís inaugural function on February 13, 1982, where the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was chief guest. Therefater, he performed at Bharat Bhavan on many occasions.
The 94-yr-old Pandey told Free Press he has not received any invitation to attend the event. 'What to say? I don't know why they didnít invite me. Maybe they don't have the required budget,' he said.
He recalled that renowned Hindi poet- writer Mahadevi Verma had presented Madhya Pradesh Government's Shikhar Samman to him in 1984 at Bhavan. Pandey was also associated with Rangmandal, the theatre wing of Bhavan. 'I have worked with theatre doyen BV Karanth, Habib Tanvir and painter J Swaminathan,' he added.
He has also trained many artistes in Rangmandal including Alok Chatterjee, Shobha Chatterjee and late Vibha Mishra. Last year, Padma Shri winners - writer Kapil Tiwari and tribal painter Bhuri Bhai - were chief guests at the Foundation Day function.
Besides Pandey, this yearís Padma Shri winners from the state include Baiga dancer Arjun Singh Dhurve, Bundeli poet Avadh Kishore Jadia, Gond painter Durga Bai Vyom and physician Dr NP Mishra (posthumous).
A painting exhibition centred on Durga Bai will be organised as part of the event. Forty five of my paintings will be exhibited there, Durga Bai told Free Press.
Jadia, too, said that he has not been invited. ìI havenít been invited to Bharat Bhavan even once,î he said. Culture minister Usha Thakur will inaugurate the Foundation Day celebrations.
Too crowded
We have already invited 22 artistes and writers who will be presented Kalidas and Shikhar Samman of state government on the Foundation Day. Had we invited the Padma Shri winners also, the stage would have become too crowded. As they are government awards, the presence of culture minister is necessary. -Prem Shankar Shukla, chief administrative officer, Bharat Bhavan
