Lokmanthan 2024: Celebrating Bharatiya Oneness and Cultural Renaissance

Lokmanthan 2024 – an International Conference and Cultural Festival is getting organised at Bhagyanagar (Hyderabad). Being held from the 21st to the 24th of November, it is going to be our country’s largest celebration of the one-ness of Bharitiya culture.

Lokmanthan is a Biennial National Colloquium of Nationalist Thinkers & Practitioners. It is a platform where artists, intellectuals, and academicians from different parts of the country converge and brainstorm on the questions that permeate society, with an aim to reshape the narratives and prepare the nation to play its civilisational role.

The 4th Edition of this International conclave is being organised by Pragna Pravah, New Delhi and Pragna Bharati, Telangana, along with their associate associations organistions across the country. This include Itihaas Sankalan Samiti, Sanskara Bharati, Vijnana Bharati, Adhivakta Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad and Bharatiya Sikshana Mandal.

While the main programme is going to be held at Shilpa Kala Vedika, an exhibition and cultural festival is being organized at the adjacent Shilparamam.

Lokmanthan’s previous editions were held at Bhopal, Ranchi, and Guwahati which focused on themes such as decolonisation and lok parampara.

Lokmanthan 2024’s Theme is Lok Avalokan. Lok Vichar – Lok Vyavahar – Lok Vyavastha

Th Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji would be inaugurating Lokmanthan 2024 on 22nd November at 9.30 Am at Shilpa Kalavedika.

Sri Venkiah Naidu ji, the Former Vice President of India has consented to open the exhibition and cultural festival on 21st November at 10 Am at Shilpa Kalavedika

Illustrious Reception Committee:

Sri Kishan Reddy, Union Cabinet Minister for Coal & Mines, is the Chairman of the Reception Committee of Lokmanthan 2024 which consists of more than 120 people from Telangana and Andhra Pradehs. The august members of this Reception Committee includes Padma Shri Awardees, Lok Kalaakaars, Telugu Scholars, Educationists, Enterprise creators, Government Administrators and Art connoisseurs.

Highlights of Lokmanthan 2024:

The Bhagyanagar edition of Lokmanthan 2024 will have conferences, art performances, audio-video pavilions, exhibitions, and food courts. Some of its key highlights planned are:

• Bringing together 2500 delegates from across the world

• Over 1.0 lakh visitors per day to view exhibitions and pavilions

• 1500 + Performing Artists

• Plastic-free conference

• 100 + Art forms to be showcased

• 400 + rare traditional musical instruments to be exhibited

• Pavilions from State Governments of

o Chhattisgarh

o Gujarat

o Madhya Pradesh

o Rajasthan

o Tripura

o Uttar Pradesh

o Uttarakhand

o Telangana

• Pavilions featuring

o North-East culture

o Traditional Food

o Traditional Healing systems

o Literature

o Samvaad (Discussion and debates)

o Culture (Dance, Music, Drama and Plays)

o Crafts and Paintings

o Traditional games

• Photo Exhibition on Vanavasi Culture, Lifestyles and Festivals from across Bharat by Photo Journalist Shri Andhekar Satish Lal

• Exhibition on Vanavasi Masks and Vanavasi Freedom Fighters by Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts, New Delhi

• All art forms to be performed by original or native artists ensuring an authentic and culturally rich experience.

• Art and culture specific to Telangana:

o Exhibits will include Dokra Metal Crafts, Kondapalli Toys, Nirmal Paintings, Kalamkari Handlooms, Textiles and Pottery to name a few.

o Telangana artforms like Hari Kathas, Perini, Burra Veena, Kinnera, Oggu Katha, Veedhi Natakas, Tolu Bommulata, Pittala Dora, Jatharas and many more to be showcased.

o Replicas of Telangana’s prized heritage like Kakatiya Thorana, Ramappa Temple, Thousand Pillar Temple to be exhibited

• Pavilion showcasing Spiritual spaces and rituals

o An Exhibit resembling the temple of the Ramnami community and live display of various rituals and practices

The What and Why of Lokmanthan:

The colonial rulers of Bharat employed a divide and rule policy to subjugate Indians. They called the non-city dwellers, especially the forest dwellers as Adivasis, an Indianised term for aboriginals, thus suggesting that the non-Adivasis are invaders and occupiers. They used these artificial definitions to create divisions among our people, contrary to the truth. Narratives were built saying that the rural populace or the illiterate are not on the same levels of knowledge of the city dwellers. And that the people living the villages or forests are not ‘educated’.

On the contrarcy, Bharat’s civilisation spread across the length and breadth of Akhand Bharat has many commonalities and linkages while having their own local flavours uniquely enriching the nation’s unity in diversity. And Bharatiya culture and tradtions form the common thread that permeates people irrespective of their place of living, region, language or any other such divisions.

Gurukuls which were mostly located in villages or forest areas served as the places for higher education for kings, elites and commoners cutting across varnas or jaatis. The greatest scientific discoveries like the concept of Zero, Infinity, Algebra, Alloys, Alchemy, Economics, Political Science, Diplomacy, Warfare, and many Philosophies were discovered or invented in these gurukuls.

After attaining a certain age, most Bharatiyas including mighty kings and emperors would hand over their responsibilities to the next generation and retreat to retirement in a forest called Vanaprastha. Thus, adult life starts in the forest and ends in the forest for all Bharatiyas.

The traditions, practices, wisdom, arts, crafts, and nature-respecting solutions passed down through generations are still alive in large parts of Bharat, especially in the rural and forest areas. Lokmanthan aims to counter these divisive binary alien concepts of Adivasi, folk, etc., with the correct term Lok and bring out the commonalities and interconnectivity across our great nation.

Significance of the Theme of Lokmanthan 2024:

The theme of this edition is Lokavalokan, meaning ‘the observation and examination of the traditions, practices and culture of Lok’. This will have three sub-themes: Lok Vichaar, Lok Vyavhaar, and Lok Vyavastha.

• Lok Vichaar will focus on the thought processes that have shaped the lives and culture of Bharat, in harmony with nature.

• Lok Vyavhaar will focus on practices and traditions that evolved through time in sync with prevailing thoughts, circumstances, and regions.

• Lok Vyavastha will focus on the established systems and institutions that catalysed holistic growth, progress, and security of diverse communities.

Every Bharatiya who wants to see the renaissance of Bharat’s traditions, culture, practices, and legacies, especially from the rural and forest areas, should attend this wonderful celebration.

Artists, artisans, musicians, and performers of dance and drama who respect and value Bharat’s culture and traditions should attend this programme to carry on the baton of Bharat’s civilisation to the present and future generations.