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The seat of a prominent music gharana, Kairana has seen some outstanding artistes emerge from its fold. Now in news for the alleged exodus of Hindus, this town in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh will soon assert its identity in a novel way — through cultural signposts.
Kairana is among several hundred sites of importance in terms of classical, popular or contemporary culture, which are neglected or forgotten today. Such sites are being identified across the country as part of a project of the Culture Ministry. Signposts will be put up at these sites narrating their past and resurrecting their history for the current generation.
READ | The others who left Kairana, many decades ago
“Kairana is in the news these days, but it has also hosted an important music gharana. It has produced several masters from Abdul Karim Khan to Bhimsen Joshi. If we have cultural milestones across the town, which tell us about the lives of these masters and their work, it will change the identity of the town and its residents,” Girish Joshi, Director Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, told The Indian Express.
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Among the most vibrant gharanas of the country, Kairana produced the Khyal form of singing, and its lineage includes doyens like Begum Akhtar, Mohammed Rafi and Gangubai Hangal.
The ministry has approved the project, and the Centre is identifying various sites. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, will install the milestones at various locations. The milestones could range from a plaque bearing the basic history to busts of the artistes.
The ministry believes that these signposts will help spread cultural awareness about the place and boost tourism. Joshi cited an instance of Hindi movie Shree 420.
“A sequence of its famous song ‘Mera Joota Hai Japani’ was shot near Vidisha and Sehore in Madhya Pradesh. If you install a signpost there, explaining when and where the song was shot, it will become a tourist spot,” he said, adding that even passersby would stop for a a selfie. “The idea is to educate people about a place and its legends. We will implement the project with the help of local municipal authorities,” he said.
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