Mumbai: India's first-of-its-kind, multi-disciplinary cultural space, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, was opened on Friday, aimed to showcase the best of India across music, theatre, fine arts and crafts to the world. It was named after the founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Mukesh Ambani.
The cultural centre is housed within the Jio World Centre, located in the heart of Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. Nita Ambani during the grand opening of the cultural centre said it was like dream come true. "For a long time, we had nurtured a dream that India should have a world-class cultural centre. We were keen to create a space for promoting and celebrating our artistic and cultural heritage...," she said.
In her address, she said culture weaves the threads of mutual understanding, tolerance and respect that knit communities and countries together. "Culture brings hope and happiness to humanity. Therefore, as an artist, I hope this centre becomes a space that celebrates the arts, the artists, and the audience. A space where our people can feel proud of their heritage."
She said she wanted it to be a centre that resembles a confluence of art, culture, and knowledge. "We envision this centre to become home not only to the finest talent from Indian cities, but also from our small towns and remotest villages. I truly hope this space continues to inspire and empower our future generations," Nita Ambani said.
On the occasion, she also performed on stage on the bhajan 'Raghupati Raghav Rajaram' and expressed that she felt the same during the performance as she used to when she was a child.
"As I performed on stage in this Grand Theatre today, I couldn't help but feel the same excitement of the Nita, when she was six years old! Even after all these decades of being on stage, I still feel the same energy and gratitude I felt at that young age. Be it for my Bharatnatyam performances, or the college plays that I worked on. I still remember my first play in college was with a young talented actor called Feroz. And as they say, life comes a full circle...," she said.
Coming back to the cultural centre, it is also home to three performing arts spaces: the majestic 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, the technologically advanced 250-seat Studio Theatre, and the dynamic 12S-seat Cube. It also features the Art House, a four-storey dedicated visual arts space built as per global museum standards. (ANI)
