Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated the Sitamau Literary Festival virtually on Thursday and described the event as a “festival of cultural renaissance”. He also lauded the event venue Natanagar Research Institute’s “priceless cultural heritage”.
The three-day festival commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and Saraswati Vandana, marking a vibrant celebration of literature, history and culture in the Malwa region.
The chief minister welcomed scholars, writers, artists and historians from across the country.
Addressing the gathering, Yadav said the Sitamau-based Natanagar Research Institute is a priceless cultural heritage and a centre of learning comparable to a pilgrimage site. He recalled that the institute was established in 1974 by Maharaj Kumar Dr Raghuveer Singh and today houses around 30,000 rare manuscripts, making it one of Asia’s prominent research libraries.
He noted that renowned literary figures such as Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant and Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi were associated with the institute, which also preserves vital documents related to India’s freedom struggle and the 1857 uprising.
MLA Hardeep Singh Dang said, “The festival would provide a valuable learning opportunity through interaction with renowned historians and intellectuals.”
On the first day, scholars Pradyumn Bhatt and Virendra Kumar Shastri spoke about religion, history, ancient sculptures and their unique features. In the second session, Indian women’s hockey team coach Mir Ranjan Negi made an energetic entry with a hockey stick and shared his inspiring journey. Negi recalled facing allegations and setbacks, but said perseverance and encouragement helped him emerge as a victorious coach.
Award-winning film and theatre artist Raghuveer Yadav described the Natanagar Research Institute as a “paradise of learning.” He shared personal anecdotes from his theatre journey, highlighting how he transformed his weaknesses into strengths and carved his own path in acting.
While, poet Vivek Chaturvedi recited his noted poem “Striyan Ghar Lautati Hai.”
The Palace Garden was decorated by school students, with exhibitions by various schools. Evening sessions included field visits and a musical programme at the historic fort. Several dignitaries, historians and citizens attended the opening day.
