G20 meet in city to discuss preserving cultural heritage

Bhubaneswar: The 2nd G20 Working Group Meeting on Culture began here on Sunday bringing together delegations and experts from the G20 nations to deliberate on preserving and nurturing cultural heritage.
Announcing commencement of the four-day meet, Union culture minister G Kishan Reddy said it will focus on four priority areas which will reflect the emergence of culture as an agenda on the global stage and assured its role in renewing multicultural cooperation.
The four areas which the meeting will focus on are protection of cultural property, harnessing living for sustainable future, promotion of culture with industries and leveraging digital technology for promotion of culture, Reddy said.
A campaign called ‘Culture Unites All’ was launched by the minister. Renowned sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik will create a sand art in the Puri beach to mark the beginning of the campaign this evening, he said.
Reddy further said that while there are cultural and regional differences in the practice of sand art across the globe, there is a common thing that tied them all. “This art form does not take away from the nature rather it creates a balance and imbibes it,” he said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, an exhibition will also be inaugurated at Kalabhoomi on Monday. The exhibition titled, ‘Sustain The Craft Idiom’ will showcase the art and crafts of the country in a unique way. It will remain open for public viewing on Tuesday.
Minister of state for culture Arujn Ram Meghwal said the working group meet will provide a platform for all the G20 nations to come together, also share ideas of the respective countries.
“Discussions focusing on various themes will help the policymakers come up with better plans for preservation of our glorious heritage and culture. The temple city of Bhubaneswar is an apt place to organise such a gathering of the culture group,” Meghwal said.
He said that culture provides ways to collaborate and develop balanced solutions for contemporary global challenges of health, social inclusion, climate change and economic growth.
“Culture Unites All embodies a holistic vision to work towards a collective sustainable future,” the minister added.