Bhopal, 29th of August, 2024 : Vishwarang, renowned as India’s largest festival dedicated to language, literature, art, and culture, celebrated its Sixth edition this year with a grand event in Mauritius. The festival brought together more than 300 creators and artists from 50 countries around the world, facilitating an exchange of ideas and cultural dialogues, with a special focus on the Hindi language and traditions. Jointly organized by Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal, and the World Hindi Secretariat, Mauritius, the festival received widespread acclaim on a global scale and was witnessed by more than 1 crore people.
During the festival, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the event in his message, stating, “The annual celebration of language, literature, art, and culture through Vishwarang is commendable.” Mauritian Prime Minister, the Honorable Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, emphasized the significance of Vishwarang in strengthening cultural and educational ties between India and Mauritius. He remarked, “This event has elevated the cultural and educational dialogue between the two nations to new heights.”
Mauritian President, His Excellency Prithvirajsing Roopun, described Vishwarang 2024 as a historic cultural milestone for Mauritius, stating, “This festival has set a new benchmark in the cultural landscape of Mauritius.”
In the closing session, Mr. Santosh Choubey, Director at Vishwarang and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, made three significant announcements:
The announcement of the Afro-Asia International Vishwarang Award
On this occasion, Vishwarang Director Santosh Choubey announced that starting from Vishwarang 2025, a distinguished individual making global contributions in the fields of education, literature, art, and culture will be honored with the “Afro-Asia International Vishwarang Award.”
A Grand Global Event: ‘Hindi Olympiad’ will be Organized
Under the Vishwarang initiative, the ‘Hindi Olympiad’ will be organized in more than 50 countries. Competitions will be held at various levels on topics such as storytelling, poetry, songs, non-fiction prose, environment, climate change, new farming techniques, scientific writing, technical education, skill development, and artificial intelligence. The event will involve participation from one million students and contestants.
Translation Work to be Promoted at a Global Level
Along with the Tagore International Hindi Center, a ‘Multilingual Translation Center’ has also been established at Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal. The primary objective of this center is to promote translation work on a global scale.
On this occasion, Mr. Santosh Choubey also presented the Rabindranath Tagore Institute in Mauritius with a life-size statue of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, which was unveiled by His Excellency, President Prithvirajsing Roopun.
Fellow dignitaries who attended the event includes H.E. Smt. Nandini K. Singla, High Commissioner of India (Mauritius), Hon. Leela Devi DookunLuchoomun, GCSK Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology (Mauritius), Dr. Madhouree Ramdharee, Secretary General, World Hindi Secretariat (Mauritius), Shri Rajcoomar Rampertab, GCSK Director General, MGI/RTI (Mauritius) Shri Indradut Ram, Chairman, MGI & RTI Council (Mauritius) and Mr. Karamlall Mantadin (Mauritius).
During Vishwarang 2024, distinguished personalities from India and abroad were honored for their contributions to Hindi and literature. The Vishwarang bhasha Samman 2024 were presented by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Mr. Santosh Choubey. The esteemed awardees included Dr. Laldeo Ancharaz (Mauritius), Dr. Hemraj Sundar (Mauritius), renowned folk singer Dr. Malini Awasthi (India), acclaimed Bengali singer Ms. Jayati Chakraborty (India), Dr. Padmesh Gupta (UK), noted storyteller Dr. Divya Mathur (UK), and eminent tech expert Dr. Balendu Dadheech (India).
In the lead-up to the festival, various events such as painting, dance, and poetry recitation were organized in 50 schools and institutions across Mauritius, with participating students receiving certificates of appreciation. The cultural programs featured performances by artists from both India and Mauritius. Highlights included a dance presentation based on Braj’s Holi by Kathak dancer Kshama Malviya and her troupe from Bhopal, performances by artists from the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture, and folk music renditions by artists from the Mahatma Gandhi Institute.
India’s acclaimed folk singer, Padma Shri Malini Awasthi, captivated the audience with her powerful folk songs, while Kolkata-based Bengali singer Jayati Chakraborty mesmerized the crowd with her renditions of Rabindra Sangeet, making the evening in Mauritius truly magical. Vishwarang 2024 successfully provided a global platform for dialogue in the fields of language, literature, art, and culture. This event, held in Mauritius, has significantly enhanced the cultural and educational relations between the two nations.
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