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Kerala is on a transformative journey towards the vision of Nava Keralam (new Kerala) and it is essential that everyone join the mission, Revenue Minister K. Rajan has said. He was inaugurating the Vision 2031 Cultural Seminar organised by the Department of Culture at the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi here on Monday. “Kerala has emerged from a dark past marked by untouchability, discrimination, and social evils. The State is built on the foundations of a powerful renaissance movement that championed social justice, led by reformers such as Sree Narayana Guru and many others,” the Minister said. He recalled that Kerala’s renaissance was deeply rooted in education, literature, theatre, and travel writing, all of which strengthened the Malayali’s social consciousness. However, he warned that today, Kerala’s values of secularism and humanity faced threats from communal and fascist tendencies that attempted to infiltrate into cultural spaces. Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, delivering the keynote address, said history was not just something to be written in books but a flame to be passed down from one generation to the next. “As divisive forces attempt to sow seeds of hatred and intolerance in Kerala’s harmonious society, artists and writers should stand in the front line to defend the ideals of unity, fraternity, and friendship,” she said. Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, presenting the policy declaration, emphasised the need for a complete modernisation of the administrative structure of the Cultural department. He said the government aimed at coordinating the functioning of the various academies under the department while preserving their autonomy. “The goal is to frame a vision under the banner of a Global Indian Cultural Congress. We plan to transform Kerala Kalamandalam into a true university of all art forms, take the ideals of religious harmony and humanity to every home, and create discussion platforms in every panchayat involving students and Diamond Jubilee fellowship holders,” Mr. Cherian said. The seminar was part of the Statewide discussions organised by the department to envision the State’s progress as it marks 75 years of formation. Sessions on ‘Secularism, Humanism, and Cultural Diversity’ and ‘Kerala Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow – From Renaissance to Nava Keralam: The Contribution of People’s Governments’ were organised. Distinguished personalities from political, social, and cultural spheres attended the event, which concluded with a dance performance titled Ente Keralam by the students of Kerala Kalamandalam.
