Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Jan 14 (ANI): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called for creating a cultural renaissance in the country by propagating and practising India's traditions and customs.

The Vice President was speaking on the occasion of Sankranti and the second-anniversary celebrations of Swarna Bharati Trust here.

He said that the time has come for all Indians to adopt changes in their lifestyles and return to the old traditional methods of healthy living. "We need to follow the customs and practices of our forefathers and abandon the western-oriented lifestyles," Naidu said.

The Vice President went on to add that the traditional food habits, flavours and customs were not only time-tested but healthy too as they were tailor-made to suit the requirements of each season and region.

"We need to create awareness and educate the youth for adopting healthy dietary habits and lifestyles by returning to our simple but effective ways of living. Similarly, the ancient Indian art of Yoga creates a fusion of a healthy mind and a healthy body," he said.

Naidu also called upon the youth to pay renewed attention to agriculture, which is the backbone of Indian economy. He said the need of the hour was to accord greater prominence to natural farming and reduces the use of chemical fertilizers.

The Vice President said that the agriculture sector has to be reoriented in a fundamental way to make it sustainable and remunerative. He added that the structural changes in agriculture were needed through policy interventions of the Centre and various state governments.

The Vice President said that Indians always believed in the philosophy of sharing, caring and worshipping nature. "On this Sankranthi festival, let us all rededicate ourselves in the cause of building a healthy, strong, prosperous and inclusive India," he added.

Perini dance programme, musical recital, Rangoli competition and traditional art forms were showcased at the event. Stalls exhibiting decorated oxen (Gangireddulu) and dolls (Bommalakoluvu) were also put up.

Besides Naidu, also present were Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan, among others. (ANI)

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