This tiny village—along East Coast Road to Pondicherry, 8 km before the ancient Pallava settlement famed for its sculptures, Mamallapuram—came aliveon Sunday, as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi laid the foundation stone for this ambitious project for Asian cultural integration.
The project also has the potential to enhance the tourism potential of the area. A brainchild of Padma Subrahmanyam, this centre will be known as “Bharata-Ilango Foundation For Asian Culture” (BIFAC). The centre will be a unique two-in-one monument in memory of India’s Bharatamuni whose “Natya Shastra” is considered the oldest grammar for performing arts in the world, and the Classical Tamil poet Ilango Adigal.
His masterpiece “Silapadikaram shares extraordinary links” on dance forms with “Natya Shastra.” Karunanidhi, accompanied by his wife, Rajathi Ammal, and daughter Kanimozhi, lauded Padma’s efforts and hoped that the BIFAC would “bridge” India’s Northern and Southern cultural streams. The BIFAC should emerge as a creative melting pot for artistes from all over to come here, interact and contribute, he said.
