Kannada and Culture Department to host Antise-Pinties program for three Malenadu districts
Kannada, Culture and Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar said that the government has decided to revive all those traditional art forms which are disappearing in Karnataka.
Addressing the participants in the Sringeri assembly constituency level Antise-Pinties competition organized by Sri Adishankaracharya Sharada Lakshminarasimha Pritam, Sri Mutt at Hariharpura in Chikkamagaluru district, he said, “From Bidar to Chamarajanagar, all traditional art forms will be revived. The department is preparing a detailed proposal for this.
Mr Kumar said that whenever Indian traditional practices were flourishing, there was harmony in the society. They developed relations among people and ensured social order. The government is committed to revive all such practices by supporting them. Antige-Pinties is one such art form of Malenadu region, he said, adding that the department would soon organize a similar event involving teams from Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts.
In his introductory speech, Onithota Ratnakar, one of the organisers, said that there were over 600 teams with around 5,000 members in the three districts. The parties visit every house in their respective villages during the Diwali season at night and sing Antige-Pintz folk songs and exchange ‘Jyoti’ (light). He said that the folktales were passed on orally. Of late, the tradition was disappearing and, as such, the government should support it on the lines of supporting other traditional art forms in Karnataka.
Sri Swayamprakash Satchidananda Saraswati Swamiji, the seer of Sri Math, said that Antige-Pintz basically involves the dissemination of knowledge. The exchange of light during the singing of folk songs indicated the spread of knowledge. Practice symbolizes the holistic development of man. He said that the Math will always support such events.
13 famous Antige-Pantige teams from Malenadu region are involved in the competition.
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