Disabled artistes sing at Diwali Sandhya cultural lamp festival in Kektumra, Washim

Washim, Nov 10: A cultural Deepotsav was held at Kektumra on the occasion of Diwali Sandhya. It was organised by the Cultural Affairs Department of the Maharashtra government and the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Mumbai. Artistes of the Chetan Sevankur Divyang Orchestra and local artistes presented a range of art forms and drew warm applause from those present.

Present at the inauguration were Sandeep Balkhande, assistant director of the Cultural Affairs Department; Sachin Paikrao, the department's coordinator in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; and Prof. Bhaskar Paikrao, announcer and poet with the Directorate. Pandurang Uchitkar and Rupesh Pundge, who run the Chetan Sevankur Divyang Orchestra, young artiste Pradip Pattebahadur and journalist Mahadev Sudke were also there.

The Deepotsav gave disabled artistes a stage to show their talent. The disabled artistes of Chetan Sevankur displayed their skill with melodious singing, and the audience appreciated their performances wholeheartedly. Local artistes also added to the festive mood with a variety of cultural programmes.

The initiative, which encouraged disabled artistes and also gave local artistes a chance to perform, carried a message of inclusion in the cultural field. The programme was organised under the guidance of Ashish Shelar, Minister for Cultural Affairs and Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

The programme was conducted by Prof. Bhaskar Paikrao, announcer and poet with the Directorate. Villagers of Kektumra turned out in large numbers and cheered the artistes on enthusiastically.