High Commission of India held ‘Bhakti-The Musical’ cultural programme graced by the presence of Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh , Hon’ble Minister of State (External Affairs& Education), Government of India , YB Senator Saraswathy Kandasamy, Deputy Minister (Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives) of Malaysia and Shri Balvantsinh Rajput, Hon’ble Minister of Industries, State Government of Gujarat, at the Temple of Fine Arts, Kuala Lumpur, on 1 December 2023.
The event was supported by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India’s Promotion of Cultural Ties with Diaspora (PCTD) programme. High Commissioner of India Mr B. N. Reddy in his welcome remarks, noted the importance of the event, which also highlighted the shared and rich cultural heritage and links between India and Malaysia.
Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs in his address lauded the role of diaspora in preserving and promoting Indian culture abroad. He shared that, in November, in India , the country celebrated the 525th birth anniversary of Sant Mirabai. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during the celebrations, highlighted that the saints of Bhakti Kaal namely Alwar and Nayanmars Sants and Acharya Ramanujacharya from Southern India, Tulsidas, Kabirdas, Ravidas and Surdas from Northern India, Guru Nanak Dev from Punjab, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from Bengal in the East, Narsinh Mehta from Gujarat and Tukaram and Namdev from Maharashtra in the West, have forged the path of renunciation and also moulded India. Even though their languages and cultures were different from one another, the Prime Minister said that their message was the same and they anchored the entire nation with their Bhakti/ devotion and knowledge.
The Musical event celebrated the theme of Bhakti/devotion in India spanning over 1500 years, featuring brilliant performances of Indian classical devotional music by Ms Vani Nethiar and Team and a rich display of puppetry by Ms Deepa Rajendra & Team in a unique story-like format.
Artistes from India and Malaysia blended together harmoniously to mellifluous music – a testimony to India-Malaysia shared cultural heritage. Event also graced by several distinguished leaders of Malaysian Indian community, cultural organizations and schools.
The event was well received among the audiences who praised the unique story telling format through puppetry set to classical devotional music and celebrating the theme of devotion or Bhakti.
