The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will hold a festival of democracy at Nalanda University, Bihar showcasing India’s rich democratic traditions.
The ‘Vaishali’ festival of democracy will be held on September 15 coinciding with the International day for Democracy.
The festival of democracy comes close on the heels of an exhibition titled ‘Bharat: Mother of Democracy’, organised by the Únion Culture Ministry in ‘Bharat Mandapam’ as part of side events of G-20 Summit. The exhibition was aimed at highlighting the democratic ethos of India.
“The Vaishali festival of democracy holds significant historical and cultural importance, as it commemorates the birthplace of democracy and celebrates the enduring values of democratic governance,” a senior official in the ICCR said.
Vaishali was an ancient Indian city established in 6th century BC as a republic.
Book launch
The event would be see the launch of a book “India: the mainspring of democratic traditions”, written by Priyadarshi Dutta and two seminars on the topics of “Culture of Democracy” and Ïmplementation of Democracy”.
Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and Ambassadors of some countries will be some of the prominent guests at the festival.
The festival aims to bridge the past and present, fostering discussions on democratic ideals, cultural exchange, and global understanding. It will contribute to shaping the discourse on democracy, not only in India but also on the global stage, the ICCR official said.
