Union textiles minister Smriti Irani on Sunday said there was no need to pit modernity against tradition as both can go hand in hand, recalling how she used the hashtag #Iwearhandloom on Twitter to promote handloom clothes, terming it a great success.
Chairing a session on day two of the Lokmanthan, jointly organised by the MP government’s culture department and Prajna Pravah, a RSS inspired think-tank, Irani said it was wrong to limit modernity to style of dressing or to language. She said while in West they call it a lifestyle, in India “we call it a way of life”.
Irani said modernity and tradition can go hand in hand and make India proud.
“Modernity is belief in our way of life, in having a open minded dialogue about it. And it is our family where people can set examples and encourage youngsters to embrace modernity without compromising Indian traditional values,” she said.
Irani said that for her, the real definition of modernity is “if you accept and respect everybody’s point of view, if you embrace your traditions without being ashamed of them.”
Author and award-winning scriptwriter Advaita Kala, who was also present at the session, said modernity can be viewed from different perspectives. “Some say modernity has made us automatons of delivery and has dehumanised us. But we should not forget that we are the beneficiaries of modernity. The way forward is to reconcile modernity and traditions. It is high time we move away from the battle of modernity vs tradition,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Author and award-winning scriptwriter Advaita Kala, who was also present at the session, said modernity can be viewed from different perspectives. “Some say modernity has made us automatons of delivery and has dehumanised us. But we should not forget that we are the beneficiaries of modernity. The way forward is to reconcile modernity and traditions. It is high time we move away from the battle of modernity vs tradition,” she said.
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