IPTA resolves to wage war against 'obscurantist values'

Agra, Dec 30 (IANS) The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) has resolved to wage a relentless struggle against 'obscurantist forces' which, it said, were hell-bent on destroying India's secular, socio-cultural fabric.

The organisation adopted the resolution at its three-day national meet, at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, which ended Wednesday.

Talking to IANS, newly-elected working president Ranvir Singh and general secretary Jitendra Raghuvanshi said here Friday that they adopted a 15 point charter called 'the Bhilai Declaration' which spells out in detail the policy objectives and concerns that have to be addressed by IPTA's cultural activists.

The Bhilai Declaration reiterated IPTA's firm commitment to a culture dedicated to the empowerment of humanity in its quest for socialism, equality and social justice.

Raghuvanshi said the theme of the Bhilai conference was 'Confrontation with Time'. 'We felt that there was an urgent need to sharpen and make effective the cultural and artistic weapons that we have to halt the pernicious influences of western cultural imperialism in the garb of globalisation.'

The Bhilai meet was attended by several hundred cultural activists from all over India.

A.K. Hangal continues to be IPTA president while M.S. Sathyu, Javed Siddiqui, K. Pratap Reddy and Anjan Srivastava have been elected vice presidents.

IPTA has more than 600 units in India.