Plan to create Kashmiri arts and cultural project center in US

WASHINGTON: In a bid to raise awareness about their rich cultural traditions, Kashmiri Pandits in the US state of Florida are working on an ambitious plan to create an arts and cultural project center in Miami.

The announcement was made during the fourth annual Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day in Miami, which was attended by a large number of community members and Mayor of the city of North Miami Smith Joseph.

Speaking on the occasion, Joseph recognised the need as well as the importance of preserving one's cultural roots.

Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day was held for the fourth time in succession in North Miami to bring various ethnic groups and diverse cultures of the world closer to each other.

Director of cultural affairs and author Chandramukhi Ganju said she had an ambitious plan to create a Kashmiri arts and cultural project center in Miami to create awareness and understanding of the traditional culture of Kashmiri Pandits.

The Mayor promised to support the initiative, saying it will keep the aspirations of the community alive away from their homeland.

The main theme of the event this year was to recall the great saints of Kashmir Shaivism that evolved in Kashmir in the early 9th century AD as a fusion of Vedic and Buddhist cultures.