Apart from being the heart of the country, Madhya Pradesh is also rich in various regional and traditional culture, art and archaeology. This invaluable identity of the State was in the blind run for development during last few years. The Kamal Nath Government, in its initial one year, has made several efforts to re-establish this identity as well as to conserve and protect it.
The new Government revived the tradition of awards and honours in the field of literature, painting, theatre, etc. which was stalled for the past several years. Awards for Urdu literature, along with Hindi, were also established during this period. People of various fields were conferred with the Rajya Shikhar Samman. It was also decided to organise Lata Mangeshkar Alankaran Samaroha with full grandeur. On the occasion of State Foundation Day, a glorious cultural programme was organised at Bhopal and district headquarters.
The State Government has also remembered and paid respects to the great men who were instrumental in building the new India. The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, is being celebrated throughout the year. During this period, creative activities are being undertaken at every level to apprise the society, especially the younger generation of Gandhiji’s personality and work. Similarly, the 130th birth anniversary of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the country, is also being celebrated throughout the year. Messages of these great men were spread from village to village, door to door. This instilled a sense of patriotism in the society. The younger generation was given new thinking and new direction.
The entire ancient heritage of the state was preserved in museums. Honours were awarded for outstanding work in the field of archaeology. The process of felicitating archaeologists for their contribution in this area was completed.
A plan was prepared for documenting and preserving the painted rock formations of primitive man. The ancient temples in Khandwa, Shahdol and Sehore districts were beautified by cleaning them with scientific method.
Many ancient monuments have been transformed by maintenance works. 18 major monuments were upgraded in the State.
About 3 lakh documents of significance from historical point of view were digitalised.
Students, researchers and the general public were connected with creative activities on the occasion of World Heritage Day April 18, World Museum Day May 18, Independence Day August 15, Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October and World Heritage Week 19 to 25 November through painting competitions, exhibition, workshop, lectures, musical programmes and various publications.
Efforts were also started to preserve regional culture in Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Kamal Nath declared the year 2020 as the year of Gond arts during the Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day celebrations.