(MENAFN- kashmir observer)
nazir ganaie
srinagar : union minister for home affairs amit shah said on saturday that kashmir has been the highest seat of learning for scholars for centuries -saying that he himself was a student of languages and culture.
“i am so thrilled to learn and to understand the languages and cultures of any place,” amit shah, said in a brief chat with kashmir observer on the sidelines of an event here on saturday.
“understanding cultures has its own importance. now see, kashmir has been witnessing a peaceful environment and events like vitasta and musical evenings are possible now,” shah said, adding“i am overwhelmed to see my name written in seven languages including persian from artists in kashmir. this happens in just 10 minutes. this is the most important gift that i have ever received.”
commenting on the constitutional changes in kashmir, shah said that the abrogation of article-370 has given a new lease of life to the developmental process in jammu and kashmir. shah, who alo holds corporate affairs ministry portfolio, said that after the removal of article 370 by prime minister narendra modi, peace was established in jammu and kashmir. he said that new dimensions of development are being created, institutions of higher education are being built, industries are being set up, panchayati raj has been established and many types of administrative reforms have taken place at the grassroots level without any opposition and now kashmir has to look ahead.
“kashmir is witnessing a boom in arts and cultural activities and more and more developmental projects are being taken up,” he said.“kashmir is moving forward today by assimilating arts through vitasta mahotsav,” shah said.
youth power
the union home minister said that youth of kashmir can act as agents of change and must be encouraged at all levels to realise their potential.
“those, who misguided the youth in kashmir during all these years have done a great disservice to them and this society,” shah said.“this place (kashmir) has been the worst hit by the terrorism. times have come to change everything for good.”
pertinently, according to organizers, the 3-day long vitasta festival focuses on the folk beliefs associated with the vitasta (jhelum) river, which has been considered very sacred since vedic times.
“culture is not made in a year or by one art and genre, culture is made by assimilation of many aspects of human life. our india is one of the very few countries where such a stream of culture continuously flows and we should be proud of this,” shah said.
“kashmir becomes an all-encompassing ideology and culture. it is this place only where music and knowledge developed and reached their peaks, that's why adi shankar called it sharda kshetra and established sharda peeth here.”