CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The main institutions and programmes of the Department of Culture are :
(1) Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and other institutions engaged in literary and cultural activities;
(2) Cultural Agreements, Cultural Exchange Programmes, in-coming and out-going Cultural Delegations;
(3) Shankar's International Children's Competition; Building Grants to Cultural Organisations: Propagation of culture among college and school students, and Financial Assistance to Dance-Drama and Theatre Ensembles;
(4) Cultural Scholarships and Cultural Talent Search Scholarships Scheme; and
SAHITYA AKADEMY The Akademi completed its 20 years on March 13, 1974 and to mark that occasion, an exhibition of all publications in all languages and of books that had received the Sahitya Akademi's award, was organised at Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi from March 12-18, 1974. A symposium of award winners was also held on March 19, 1974.
Another significant event was the election of His Excellency Leopold Sedar Senghor, President of Senegal as the first Honorary Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi. The Fellowship Casket was presented to the distinguished poet and statesman by the Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, at a function held in New Delhi on May 21, 1974.
Four other new Fellows viz. Prof. V. R. Trivedi, Dr. Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, Dr. Sukumar Sen and Prof. V. V. Mirashi were also elected by the General Council of the Akademi at its
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meeting held on February 28, 1974. At a special fellowship function held at Surat on October 13, 1974 Prof. Yashwant Shukla, Vice- Chancellor of Sauashtra University, presented the fellowship to Prof. V.R. Trivedi.
During the year, the Akademi organised a number of meetings of its informal literary forum at its headquarters and regional offices. The Akademi's various offices have also brought out a total number of 27 publications in several languages. These include two double numbers of quarterly journal 'Indian Literature'.
Dr. B.B. Agrawal, Deputy Secretary (Programme) was deputed by the Akademi to attend the 48th session of the Union Academique International at Brussels from June 16-22, 1974.
The Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi selected 17 books in the various Indian languages for the Akademi Award, 1974. The winners of the awards are Sri Saurabh Kumar Chaliha. (Assamese), Sri Nirendranath Chakravarti (Bengali), Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma (Dogri) Sri Anantrai M. Raval (Gujarati), Dr. Shiva Mangal Singh 'Suman' (Hindi), Sri M. Gopalakrishna Adiga (Kannada), Sri Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup (Malayalam). Sri N. Kunjamohan Singh (Manipuri), Sri V.V. Shirwadkar (Marathi), Sri Sitakanta Mahapatra (Oriya), Sri Sohan Singh Seetal (Punjabi), Sri Vijai Dan Detha (Rajasthani), Dr. S.B. Varnekar (Sanskrit), Sri Lal Pushp (Sindhi), Sri K.D. Thirunayukkarasa (Tamil), Sri Dasarathi (Telugu), and Prof. Al-i-Ahmad Suroor (Urdu). The another of the books were given the awards at a function organised on February 26, 1975.
LALIT KALA AKADEMI The Lalit Kala Akademi (Akademy of Arts) was established in 1954 to promote the visual and plastic arts. Though the aims of the Akademi are wide in scope, it lays emphasis on publications and exhibitions. It has brought out a series of widely acclaimed monographs on ancient Indian art and published the results of new research in Indian arts in its journals. The institution has recently started releases of large Colour reproductions of paintings.
The Akademi holds annual national exhibitions to present the best works of the preceding year. Once in three years it holds the Triennale, an international exhibition. Forty countries
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took part in the last Triennale which was held in 1971. 22 countries have participated in the third Triennale held in February, 1975. Among the important exhibitions held in the country and abroad in which the Akademi took part, mention may be made of the following :
(1) 18 graphic prints comprising the works of Jai Krishna Jyoti Bhatt, Jagmohan Chopra and Anupam Sud were sent as Indian participation in the IV International Biennale of Graphic Art held in Florence in May-June, 1974. Jai Krishna won the gold medal for his graphic work.
(2) An exhibition of multi-colour reproduction and graphic prints was organised in Agartala.
(3) The Australian High Commission, New Delhi and Lalit Kala Akademi jointly organised an exhibition of Serigraphs and paintings by Alum Leach Jones, a well- known artist from Australia. The exhibition was on view from September 19-25, 1974 at the Lalit Kala Gallery.
(4) The Akademi compiled a collection of 21 panels of frescoes and murals for being shown in Paris on the occasion of UNESCO General Conference.
The Fellowship of the Akademi was conferred on Prof. N.S. Bendre at a function held in Bombay on October 4, 1974, when Prof. T.K. Tope, Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University presided. On this occasion, the Akademi organised a retrospective exhibition of Bendre's works.
Dr. Mulk Raj Anand was also made a Fellow of the Akademi on November 2, 1974. Dr. Anand also delivered the 5th Coomaraswamy Memorial Lecture, under the title "An appreciation of India Art" on November 2 & 3, 1974.
Under the auspices of the Akademi, a conference of State Lalit Kala Akademies was held in September, 1974. The Conference discussed topics of common interest and was presided over by Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha. It was attended by 29 delegates from various State Akademies, art organisations and institutions.
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SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI The significant activities of the Akademi during the period under report are as follows:
1. The Akademi presented programmes of dance and music on behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs in honour of several visiting dignitaries, notably, His Excellency U Ne Win, President of Burma and Dr. Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State, United States of America.
2. The Akademi arranged three performances of Rama- yana presented by the Central Children's Theatre, Moscow on October 13, 14 & 15, 1974, in New Delhi on behalf of the Department of Culture.
3. The following are some of the important publications proposed to be brought out by the Akademi
(i) A monograph on Tamasha.
(ii) Second edition of "Classical Indian Dance in Lite- rature and the Arts" by Dr. (Smt.) Kapila Vatsyayan.
(iii) Indian Folk Musical Instruments-2nd edition.
(iv) "Who is Who of Indian Musicians"- Revised edition,
(v) "Dhrupada Sangeet Bihar".
(vi) Monograph on Music Education in India.
(vii) Monograph on Uday Shankar.
Two issues of the journal "Sangeet Natak" Nos. 30 31 and an issue of Akademi News Bulletin have been brought out.
4. A festival of Young Dances will be held in February, 1975. A nationwide theatre festival in which leading theatre groups from 4-5 language areas will be participating, is also scheduled to be held in Bhopal in February, 1975.
During the period, 170 books have been added to the Book Library and 29 discs to the Disc Record Library. The Library, especially Listening room, continues to be widely utilised by
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scholars and students. For the tape archives of the Akademi, some items in Hindustani. and Karnatak Music-both vocal and instrumental have been recorded in the studio of the Akademi.
The documentation unit of the Akademi was mainly engaged in consolidating the documented material in the archive. More than 3000 photographs and slides were, suitably captured, about 6000 feet of 16 mm movie film in shape of map print has been edited and about 150 hours of taped material have been catalogued. The Unit further proposes to cover in the shape of tape recording, filming and photography the music and dance of Punjab, tribal music and dances of Arunachal Pradesh, music and dance of Oraon tribe of Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, Taiyyar Tera Yattu of Kerala (1st phase) and Karyala Folk Theatre of Himachal Pradesh. The Unit has also programme of production of 2-Reeler, 16 mm film on tribal dances and a cassette on folk dance music.
The Akademi selected the following eminent artists for awards during 1974
Music
1. Shri Kumar Gandharva (Hindustani Music-Vocal)
2. Shri Nikhil Bannerji (Hindustani Music--
Instrumental -sitar)
3. Shri M.D. Ramanathan (Karnatak Music-Vocal)
4. Shri T.N. Krishnan (Karnatak Music-
instrumental-violin)
Dance
1. Shri Kittappa Pillai (Bharat Natyam teacher)
2. Shri Gauri Shankar (Kathak)
3. Shri Kalamandalam Raman (Kathakali)
Kutty Nair
4. Mrs. Libemhal Devi (Manipuri)
5. Shri Bhagban Sahu (Folk dance of Orissa)
6. Shri Puna Ram (Folk Theatre-Pandavani)
Drama
1. Shri S.D. Sundaram (Play-writing-Tamil)
2. Shri Damu Kenkre (Direction)
3. Shri Tapas Sen (Stage technique)
4. Shri Prausukh Naik (Acting)
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INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS ENGAGED IN LITERARY AND
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Institutions Receiving Annual Grants During 1973-74 some important institutions like the Institute of Traditional Cultures, Madras, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, Numismatic Society of India, Varanasi, Pen All India Centre, Bombay, Islamic Culture Board, Hyderabad, Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust, Amritsar etc., have been given financial assistance. The working of the Institutions like Rama Krishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, Asiatic Society, Calcutta and Indian Academy of Philosophy, Calcutta has been reviewed by the Visiting Com- mittees. The reports on Asiatic Society, Calcutta and Indian Academy of Philosophy, Calcutta have since, been received and are under examination. The report on Rama Krishna mission Institute is awaited.
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok, Sikkim The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok is an Institution engaged in research on Buddhism. The Institute is being aided both by the Sikkim Administration and the Government of India, each of these Governments has increased its contribution from Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 1 lakh a year for the maintenance of the Institute. Under the Scheme of "Award of Fellowships at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology", Gangtok, two fellows have been selected for the year 1973-74.
Daira-tul-Maarif-il Osmania, Hyderabad The Daira-tul-Maarif-il-Osmania, Hyderabad, is an Institution engaged in the publication of manuscripts in Arabic and Persian. The Institute has been in receipt of a grant of Rs. 50,000/- a year. The working of the Institute was reviewed by a Visiting Committee. According to the recommendations of the Reviewing Committee, it is proposed to increase the annual grant to Rs. 60,000/-. In addition, it is also proposed to give Rs. 30,000/- during 1974-75 to the Institute for construction purposes.
School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh The School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh, an autonomous Organisation fully financed by this Department was established
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in October, 1959. The School is registered under the J&K Societies Registration Act and has a Board of Management which includes scholars of Buddhist Philosophy and the Tibetan Language representative of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, a representative of the Ladakh Gonpa Association and officials of the Central Government. A hostel building and some staff quarters are to be taken up for construction as Plan programmes and the State Government has been asked to make available a suitable plot of land for the purpose.
Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute, Hyderabad The Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute, Hyderabad, has been established with the object of conducting research in History, Philosophy, Culture, Languages and other allied areas of study.
On the recommendations of a Review Committee, the Institute is receiving an annual grant of Rs. 12,000/- for the following purposes :
(a) Research fellowships
(b) Supervisor allowances
(c) Research: equipment
(d) Publication charges etc.
During 1974-75, it is proposed to review the working of the Institute for reviewing the pattern of grant to be paid in future.
Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi The Institute was established in November, 1967 and prepares its students for the following courses, all mainly related to Tibetan Buddhism:
(1) Purva Madhyama
(2) Uttar Madhyama
(3) Shastri
(4) Acharya
(5) Vishishtacharya
(6) Vidyavaridhi
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At present, there are about 246 students on the roll of the Institute and teaching strength comprises of 19 teachers including the Principal.
The working of the Institute was reviewed by a Committee constituted by the Government of India in September, 1970. Some of the recommendations of the Committee viz. Shastri Course with an annual intake of 30 students, Acharya Course with an annual intake of 15 students, Vishishtacharya/Vidya Varidhi Course with an intake of 5 students, creation of the post of Director/Registrar/two senior lecturers/two junior lecturers, have been implemented.
Centenary Celebrations During the year, the tri-centenary of the Coronation of Chattrapati Shivaji was celebrated all over the country. The programmes for the celebrations were drawn up by a National Committee set up for the purpose under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
The 2500th anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir's Nirvan fell, on November 13, 1974. The National Committee set up under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister for the purpose formulated suitable programmes to celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner.
Cultural Agreements The following Cultural Agreements were concluded during the year with :
(i) People's Democratic Republic of Yemen : It was signed in New Delhi on March 17, 1974 by Prof. S. Nurul Hasan, Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Mr. Mohammad Saleh Mutie, Foreign Minister of People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.
(ii) Senegal : It was signed in New Delhi on May 21, 1974 by Prof. S. Nurul Hasan, Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture on behalf of the Government of India and H.E. Mr. Assane Beck, External Affairs Minister of Senegal on behalf of the Government of Senegal.
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(iii) Argentina : The Cultural Agreement was signed in Buenos Aires on May 29, 1974 by Shri Surendra Pal Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of External, Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Mr. Alberto Juan Vignes, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship on behalf of the Government of Argentina.
(iv) Columbia : The Cultural Agreement was signed in Bagota on May 22, 1974 by Shri Surendra Pal Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Mr. Alfredo Vazues Carrisosa, Minister of National Education on behalf of the Government of Columbia.
(v) Republic of Korea : The Cultural Agreement was signed in Seoul on August 12, 1974 by Shri Swaran Singh, Minister for External Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Mr. Dong Jo Kim, Foreign Minister on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea.
(vi) Sudan : The Cultural Agreement was signed in New Delhi on November 28, 1974 by Prof. S. Nurul Hasan, Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Mansour Khalid, Foreign Minister on behalf of the Government of Democratic Republic of Sudan.
(vii) Guyana : The Cultural Agreement was signed in Georgetown an December 30, 1974 by Dr. Gopal Singh, High Commissioner of India on behalf of the, Government of India and by Mr. F.S. Ramphal, Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Government of Guyana.
(viii) United Arab Emirates : The Cultural Agreement was signed in New Delhi on January 3, 1975 by Prof. S. Nurul Hasan, Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Cultural on behalf of the Government of India and by H.E. Ahmed Khalifa-Al-Suwaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Government of United Arab Emirates.