Bhopal, Nov 12 (IANS): Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Madhya Pradesh to attend the 66th Akhil Bhartiya Kalidas Samaroh, that will commence from Tuesday in Ujjain.
The Vice-President, who is the chief guest, will address the gathering of dignitaries, including Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on this occasion.
The four-day-long event will start at 4 P.M. and cultural activities will begin around 7 P.M. on Tuesday.
The concluding ceremony will be held on November 18, according to the Madhya Pradesh government.
On this occasion, the Vice-President will also confer the 'Kalidas Alankaran Samman' for 2022-23 to renowned artists for their contribution in the field of art and for preserving the artistic heritage of the nation.
This year the 'Kalidas Alankaran Samman' will be conferred on Pandit Uday Bhawalkar of Pune (2022), Pandit Arvind Parikh of Mumbai (2023) and Dr. Sandhya Purecha of Mumbai (2022) for classical dance.
Theater artists who will be honoured for their contributions are Raghupathi Bhat of Mysore (2023), Bhanu Bharti of Rajasthan (2022) and Rudraprasad Sengupta of Kolkata (2023).
Notably, the 'Kalidas Alankaran Samman' is an annual arts award given by the Madhya Pradesh government to recognise outstanding work of individuals in the arts.
The award is named after Kalidas, a renowned classical Sanskrit writer and dramatist from ancient India.
The Madhya Pradesh government introduced this award first in 1980, which includes a cash prize, plaque, and citation.
A committee of prominent people from the relevant fields selects the recipients of the award.
The Vice President had last visited Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of 'World Sickle Cell Day' on June 19 and then he had urged everyone to make efforts to eradicate sickle cell disease for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a national initiative.
Sickle-cell anaemia is caused by a defective gene, Haemoglobin S, which causes flexible red blood cells to become stiff sickle-shaped cells, obstructing blood flow and increasing the risk of organ damage.