Gandhinagar, Nov 22 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday inaugurated the 2025 edition of the Tana Riri Festival in the historic town of Vadnagar, urging citizens to strengthen India’s cultural and artistic legacy by embracing indigenous traditions.
The annual music festival is jointly organised by the Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Mehsana district administration under the Department of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities.
At the opening ceremony, the Chief Minister presented the prestigious Tana Riri Sangeet Samman Award to renowned classical vocalist Kalapini Komkali in recognition of her contribution to Indian music.
Speaking at the inauguration, CM Patel said Vadnagar — home to a 2,000-year-old civilisational heritage — has always been a centre of devotion, service and artistic excellence. He described the legendary sisters Tana and Riri as shining symbols of India’s musical heritage, and said that, like them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a native of Vadnagar, continues to embody the ethos of “nation first” through tireless service.
The Gujarat Chief Minister said that PM Modi has taken several initiatives to revive and showcase Vadnagar’s cultural and archaeological legacy.
The town now houses a state-of-the-art archaeological museum, while sites linked to the Prime Minister’s childhood — such as his primary school and the old railway station where he once worked — are being redeveloped.
Under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme, key heritage sites in Vadnagar, such as Sharmistha Lake, Tana Riri Park, Lateri Stepwell, Ambaji Kotha Lake and sections of the fort wall are being restored. A light-and-sound show has also been started at the ancient Hatkeshwar Temple to highlight its history for visitors.
Highlighting the richness of India’s musical traditions, CM Patel said music today is even used in therapeutic treatments and emphasised that the Prime Minister has made long-term preservation of cultural heritage a national priority.
Linking the government’s goal of building a developed India by 2047 with the revival of traditional arts, he urged citizens to safeguard local art forms, adopt indigenous practices and contribute to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The inaugural evening saw performances by awardee Kalapini Komkali, eminent sitar maestro Niladri Kumar, and singer Ishani Dave, who enthralled the audience with classical, instrumental and folk renditions.
The festival commemorates the historic episode in which Tana and Riri — daughters of Sharmistha, granddaughter of saint-poet Narsinh Mehta — sang Raag Malhar to calm the flames sparked by Tansen’s rendition of Raag Deepak. The event was institutionalised in 2003, and the Tana Riri Sangeet Samman was instituted in 2010, during PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister.
The inauguration was attended by ministers Jitu Vaghani and Rishikesh Patel, community leader Somabhai Modi, district officials, MLAs, the chairperson of Vadnagar Municipality, members of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and a large gathering of music lovers from Vadnagar and Mehsana.
–IANS
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