A sea of humanity descended on the floodplains of Yamuna to witness the closing ceremony of Art of living’s World Culture Festival on Sunday as magnificent event lived up to its promise of the world’s largest celebrations of diversity with stellar performances of the finest of talents across the globe.
It was nothing less than a celebration in true sense with the vibrancy of dance and also serenity of music. The audiences stood transfixed as global leaders spoke about service to humanity, spirituality and human values. The festival depicted harmonious co-existence and celebrations of diversity by bringing people from all across the world on a common platform.
A massive delegation of national and international public figures marked their presence at the occasion. Among the dignitaries present were Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Urban Development Minister Venaikah Naidu, BJP national president Amit Shah, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Ministry of Science and Technology Harshvardhan, Union Minister for Communications &Information Technology Ravishankar Prasad, lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik, Member of Parliament Germany Geoffrey Van Orden, President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe and Former Prime Minister of Slovenia HE Peterle.
Taking on the controversy over ‘a stinking Yamuna’, Venkaiyah Naidu said, “Yamuna is clean and calm and only some minds are polluted. Praising Sri Sri Ravi shankar, he said, “He has bought the worked to India. We need peace and to be together. Peace is what we want to attain irrespective of caste, creed and culture.”
British PM David Cameron invites Sri Sri to speak at British Parliament’s House of Commons when he visits the UK next time. He sent his message through British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament Mathew Offord. In his message, Cameron said, “People say that no one can change the world but Sri Sri had made a good start. We are seeing a ray of hope.” “Art of living promotes peace and understanding”, the message added.
Arun Jaitely said, “Through this event, we are showcasing the values of India. The nature is beautiful here. I didn’t face any problem in reaching the venue. We are thankful to Sri Sri for organising such an event in Delhi to spread the message of peace to the world.”
Praising the cultural event, Amit Shah said, “This event has brought the world together by giving true meaning to ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. The world is surprised to such a cultural event. Such an event has hardly taken place anywhere. We have always seen countries unite through business, but this is the first time that countries have united through culture.”
Speaking at the closing event, Suresh Prabhu said that many festivals are celebrated across India but this is a unique festival where 155 countries have come together. “It is a mini-United Nations,” he added.
The festival began with the exotic strains of the Naadaswaram as dignitaries from all over the world were welcomed on stage. As many as 125 artistes from Mongolia performed Mongolian dance depicting the nomadic way of life. 125 Artistes from the mountain nation of Nepal danced to the melodious Himalayan folk tunes. A host of national and international artistes showcased their fine talent in front of thousands of people.
People came in large numbers to get a glimpse of the cultural evening. The audience turned their mobile phone flash light on to mark their presence at the occasion. “We have come to see the cultural dances and musical performances of various artistes which is the biggest way to showcase the cultural harmony. Also today is the last day of this festival so we had to make it today,” said Sargun Singh, a resident of Mayur Vihar Extention.