EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 17: Eminent theatre director Padamshree Balwant Thakur who was on a foreign assignment for over Three and Half years was accorded rousing reception on his arrival in Jammu. Balwant Thakur served in the Ministry of External Affairs Government of India as Cultural Diplomat of India. Firstly he was posted as Cultural Diplomat of India to South Africa where he served as Director of the prestigious Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Johannesburg for about two years. Later he was appointed as Cultural Diplomat of India to Mauritius where he served as Director of world's biggest cultural centre namely Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture based in Phoenix city of Mauritius. His tenure in Foreign affairs is termed as the golden era of Indian cultural diplomacy. Known as the magic man of Indian theatre, he vibrated the cultural scene of both South Africa and Mauritius through his highly innovative approaches of showcasing Indian culture abroad. Amazingly he mounted over three hundred events in both the countries aimed at spreading the cultural essence of India. In both the countries he was honoured repeatedly for his remarkable contribution in bridging nations through strong cultural ties. Interestingly he will be remembered for breaking conventions and introducing new cultural approaches suiting contemporary times. He has been highly successful in raising the Indian flag high by upgrading the standards of Indian performances abroad. His innovative ways of engaging youth and children received tremendous appreciation and accolades.
Here in Jammu while addressing the august gathering at his reception he shared glimpses of his fantastic experiences of handling Indian culture outside India. Terming India as the world leader, he cited many examples where India holds top position in world cultural spheres. Unfortunately we look at the West whereas the fact remains that the entire world looks at India, the Indian wisdom and philosophy. No where on this earth the diversity which India offers can be found. Despite having world attractions available in India, we still continue to be one of the least visited countries of the world. For this we all need to work and he will dedicate the rest of his life to change that status quo. On the occasion he informed that he has a huge plan to hold a series of talks and interactions aimed at sharing his tremendous experiences. Those who attended his reception at Natrang Jammu included Ravi Sharma, Kamal Sharma, Asha Kesar, Anil Tickoo, Subash Jamwal, Maloop Singh, Suresh Kumar, Neeraj Kant, Sumeet Sharma, Sanjeev Gupta, Arvind Anand, Vikrant Sharma, Mohd. Yaseen, Daksh Dev, Brijesh Avtar Sharma, Rahul Singh, Meenakshi Bhagat, Kushal Bhat, Sushant Singh Charak, Vishal Sharma, Kuldeep Angral, Shivam Singh, Aadesh Dhar, Gopi Sharma, Abhinav Sharma, Sunny Mujoo, Abhishek Bharti, Mahikshit Singh, Vrinda Gujral, Rohit Verma, Veerji Sumbly, Rafee Mushtaq, Mihir Gujral, Rajinder Narang, Aarti Bhagat, Sahir Khan, Arun Sharma, Sumit Bandral, Hardik Sharma and Shishupal. |
