 CULTURAL AFFAIRS

11.01. The various institutions set up by the Government to promote and develop cultural activities inside the country successfully continued their programmes, during the year. The same was the case with the programmes, initiated earlier by the Ministry. In addition, a few new schemes have been introduced to rejuvenate the cultural fabric of the country.

A:THE NATIONAL AKADEMIS

11.02.

Sahitya Akademi:

An outline of the activities of the Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous organisation set up by the Government in March 1954, during the year is given below.

(a) Awards: Awards, each of the value of Rs. 5000, are given annually to the most outstanding books of literary quality in the major Indian languages. Till 1969, 163 such books have received the Akademi awards. At a special function held on March 29, 1970, Dr. S. K. Chatterji, President of the Sahitya Akademi, gave away the awards to the winners of the Sahitya Akademi Awards 1969.

The following books received the Akademi awards for 1970:

        
        
        1.   Assamese       Mahatmar Pora          Shri Lakshminath Phookan
                            Rupkonwarloi
        
        2.   Bengali        Adhunikata O           Shri Abu Sayeed Ayyub
                            Rabindranath
        
        3.   Dogri          Nila Ambar Kale        (Late) Narendra Khajuria
                            Badal
        
        4.   Gujarat        Abhinavano              Shri Nagindas Parekh
                            Rasavichar
        
        5.   Hindi          Nirala Ki Sahitya       Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma
                            Sadhana

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        6. Kannada           Karnata Samskritiya      Shri S.B. joshi 
                             Poorvapeethike
        
        7. Kashmiri          Maqalaat                 Shri Mohiuddin Hajini
        
        8. Maithili          Radha Virah              Shri Kashikant Mishra
                                                      `Madhupa'
        
        9. Malayalam         Kaalam                   Shri M.T. Vasudevan Nair
        
        10. Marathi          Adarsha Bharat           Shri N. R. Phatak
                              Sevaka
        
        11. Oriya            Sarisrupa                Shri Binodchandra Nayak
        
        12. Sanskrit      Shaabdatarangini         Shri V. Subrahmanya Sastri
        
        13. Sindhi           Wari-A Bharyo            Shri Narayan Shyam
                               Palaand
        
        14. Tamil            Anbalippu                (Late) G. Alagirisami
        
        15. Telugu           Amrutham Kurusina      (Late) Balagangadhar Tilak
                               Rathri
        
        16.  Urdu             Lahoo Ke Phool           Shri Hayatullah Ansari

These awards were given by Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Chairman of the Akademi at a special function held at Rabindra Bhavan on February 20, 1971.

(b) New Fellows of the Sahitya Akademi: The General Council of the Akademi which met at New Delhi on February 27, 1970, elected the following persons as its Fellows:

(1) Shri Muhammad Basheer, for his eminence as a novelist in Malayalam.

(2) Sri V. S. Khandekar, for his eminence as a novelist in Marathi.

(3) Sri Viswanadha Satyanarayana, for his eminence as a poet in Telugu.

(4) Sri Raghupati Sahai-`Firaq Gorakhpuri' for his eminence as a poet in Urdu.

(c) Lenin Centenary Symposia: At the instance of the Ministry, the Akademi organised five symposia as part of the Lenin centenary celebrations in the country. The first was held

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at Indore on July 12, 1970 at which more than 30 authors and critics from Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi participated.

The second was an all-India symposium held at New Delhi on August 23-24, 1970. Some of the eminent poets and critics who participated in it are Hem Barua, Syed Abdul Malik, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya (Assamese); Gopal Haldar, Niharranjan Ray, R. K. D as Gupta (Bengali); Padma Sachadeva (Dogri); Umashankar Joshi M. M. Jhaveri (Gujarati); Amrit Rai, Prakash Chandra Gupta, Hazariprasad Dwivedi (Hindi); R. S. Mugli, Anantamurthy (Kannada); S. Guptan Nair, G. Sankara Kurup, T. S. Pillai (Malayalam); D. K. Bedekar A. R. Deshpande, W. L. Kulkarni (Marathi); Anand Patnaik, Narendranath Mishra (Oriya); Sant Singh Sekhon, Harbhajan Singh (Punjabi); K. B. Advani, Uttam, Tirath Basent (Sindhi); Sri. Narla Venkateswara Rao, K. Kutumba Rao (Telugu); Sajjad Zaheer, A. A. Suroor, Masud Husain Khan (Urdu).

The third symposium was held at Calcutta on August 30, 1970 at which scholars and writers belonging to Assamese, Bengali and Oriya languages participated.

On September 7, 1970 the fourth was held at Bangalore, inaugurated by Prof. V. K. R. V. Rao, Union Minister for Education and Youth Services. The next day was devoted to a discussion in which about 40 distinguished scholars and writers belonging to the four South Indian languages participated.

On, September 20, the fifth and the last symposium was held at Walchand Hall, Bombay, under the chairmanship of Prof. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar. Nearly 40 distinguished scholars and writers in Marathi, Gujarati and Sindhi participated in a daylong symposium.

(d) Namdev Symposium: On the occasion of the 700th Birth Anniversary of the Marathi saint-poet, Namdev, who also wrote in Hindi and Punjabi, a symposium organised by the Sahitya Akademi was held in New Delhi.

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(e) Publications: A list of publications brought out by the Akademi during the year is given at Annexure. Special mention may be made of `Du Contract Social' by Rousseau translated into Bengali and `Tarjuman-ul-Quran' Vol. IV translated into Urdu by the late Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

11.03.

Sangeet Natak Akademi:

The singnificant activities during the year, of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous body set up in January, 1953, are briefly indicated below.

(a) Documentation: Under its regular programme of recording classical music for the Akademi's archives, the following were recorded: (1) Nagaswaram, recital by M. K. Chinna Subbaih, (2) vocal recital by Nasiruddin Gore, (3) Surabahar and Veena by B. K. Roychowdhury and Surendra Nath Banerjee, (4) vocal recital by Pran Nath, (5) vocal recital of older classical compositions of Tagore and Rai Chand Boral rendered by Noni Chand Bore, (6) vocal recital by Vinayak Rao Patavardhan, (7) vocal recital by Shakur Khan, and (8) Veena recital by Doraiswami Iyengar.

(b) Programmes and Projects: Important programmes arranged during the period are: (1) performance of Kathakali dance (Nala Charitam) in collaboration with International Centre for Kathakali, (2) Odissi, Kathak, Kathakali and Kandyan dance recitals for the visiting members of the French Federation of Classical and Contemporary Dances, (3) programme of Indian dance and music in honour of Mr. Lee Kan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, and Mrs. Lee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 1, 1970 and (4) programme entitled. "The Great Sentinel' presenting songs, recitations and reading representing the role of Rabindranath Tagore in the Indian National Movement from 1875.

(c) Rasika Music Circle: Rasika Music Circle was organised to present specially devised disc and taped music programmes from the large collection of classical, tribal and folk music in the archives of the Akademi, for interested listeners.

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(d) Research in the Science of Music: Preliminaries were completed to set up a laboratory for examining the muscial scale and microtonal variations of selected ragas of Hindustani and Karnatak classical music and for the analysis of the tonal quality of veena and flute.

(e) Prizes for Books on Music: The General Council of the Akademi decided to award prizes for books on music in Indian languages to the following titles during 1970-71:

        
        
        (i) Bengali      "Bharatiya Sangeet       Bimal K.Roy Choudhury 
                          Kosha"
        
        (ii) Kannada     "Haridasa Keerthana      N. Chennakeshariah
                          Sudha Sagara"
        
        (iii) Marathi    "Gharandas Gayaki"       V. H. Deshpande
        
        (iv) Sanskrit    "Sangeetaraja" of       Edited with Introduction by
                          Rana Kumbha            Dr. Smt. Premlata Sharma

(f) Akademi Annual Awards and Akademi Fellows: The General Council also decided to select the following for the Annual Akademi Awards and Akademi Fellows for 1970-71:

        
        
        Music
        
        
        1.   Shri Nisar Husain Khan            Hindustani Vocal
        
        2.   Shri Masi Khan                    Hindustani Instrumental(Tabla)
        
        3.   Smt.  M.L. Vasantha Kumari        Karnatak Vocal
        
        4.   Shri V. Doraiswamy Iyengar        Karnatak Instrumental (Veena)
        
        
        Dance
        
        1. Smt. Shanta Rao                     Bharatanatyam
        
        2. Shri Mankulam Vishnu Nambudiri      Kathakali
        
        3. Shri Pankaj Charan Das              Odissi (Guru)
        
        4. Smt. Mrinalini Sarabhai             Creative and Experimental Dance

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        Drama
        
        1. Shri Vijaya Tendulkar               Playwriting (Marathi)
        
        2. Shri Adi Marzban                    Direction (Parsi-Gujarati)
        
        3. Smt. Sarajubala Debi                Acting (Bengali)
        
             Shri Keramane Shirram Hedge       Traditional Theatre
                  (Yakshagana)

Fellows

1. Dr. (Mrs.) Kapila Vatsyayan

2. Acharya C. D. Brahaspati

3. Shri Dalip Chander Vedi

11.04.

Lalit Kala Akademi:

The significant activities, dur- ing the year, of the Lalit Kala Akademi, established as an autonomous body in August, 1954, are outlined below:

(a) Exhibitions: Amongst the important exhibitions held. in this country and abroad in which the Akademi took part, mention may be made of the following: (i) the 16th National Exhibitions of Art, `70, consisting of 1358 entries, comprising 1065 paintings, 154 graphics and 139 sculptures from 728 artists organised in January `70; (ii) exhibition of 73 paintings and drawings by K. E. Muller entitled Journey Through India at the Lalit Kala Gallery in December 1969, at Hyderabad in January, 1970, at Madras in January, 1970 and at Calcutta in February, 1970; (iii) art exhibition of Soviet Nehru Award winners, Evgeny Vuchetich (Sculptor) and Dmitry Nalbandyan (Painter) under the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange programme at New Delhi in February, 1970, at Lucknow in February' 70, and at Bombay in March, 1970; (iv) exhibition of drawings, water-colour and graphics by Anrezej Strumillo of Poland under the Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange programme at New Delhi in March, 1970, and at Ahmedabad in April 1970; (v) exhibition of drawings, photographs and sculptures and three originals by the well-known British sculptress Barbara Hepworth, at New Delhi in April- May, 1970; (vi) a collection of works of 5 pro-

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minent Indian artists sent in June, 1970, to Nepal to form part of an International Exhibition organised by the Nepalese Association of Fine Arts; (vii) a travelling exhibition of paintings, sculptures and graphics at Bhubaneswar in February `70, at Patna in March 1970, at Bangalore in June `70, at Trivandrum. in July `70, and at Bhopal in July `70; (viii) an exhibition of British prints by 20 well-known British artists consisting of 120 exhibits at Calcutta in August- September, 1970, and (ix) a collection of 54 exhibits from 17 Indian artists at Tokyo in November 1970.

(b) Publications: A list of publications brought out during the year is given at Annexure F. Among the publicational activities of the Akademi, mention may particularly be made of 12 large-size multi- colour prints of paintings of 2 miniatures (one from the Mewar style and the other from Kishangarh school) and works of Rabindrnath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose and others.

(c) Second Triennale of Contemporary World Art: The most significant programme has been the organisation of the second Triennale of Contemporary World Art, which was inaugurated by the President of India on January 31, 1971. 47 countries participated in this international event. The Indian section was represented by about 120 works. The exhibition was housed in Lalit Kala Galleries, Jaipur House and Sridharani Gallery. An International Exhibition of Art Books was also organised on the occasion. A jury consisting of 7 members under the chairmanship of Prof. N. S. Bendre was constituted. Awards were given to the following:

AWARDEES

A. Gold Medals

1. Mario Gallardo (Cuba)

2. Jerzy Panek (Poland)

3. Ishwar Sagara-(India)

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4. Mira Schendel (Brazil)

5. Jiro Yoshihara (Japan)

6. Yvaral (France)

B. Honourable Mention

1. Peter Nagel (Federal Republic of Germany)

2. Miroslov Sutej (Yugoslavia)

11.05.

Reviewing Committee of the three National Akademis:

This Committee was set up to review the Working of the three National Akademis and the ICCR, with reference to their objectives and the recommendations of the Bhaba Committee, to suggest measures for improving their working and to recommend a suitable pattern of organisation consistent with the rerequirements of autonomy and public accountability. Originally appointed for a period of six months, its term has been extended till August 18, 1971.

B: PROGRAMMES OF ASSISTANCE FOR CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

11.06.

Shankar's International Children's Competition :

The competition, which is a popular and important event, continued to receive assistance. About 15,000 children took part in the competition this year.

11.07.

Building Grants to Cultural Organisations.

During the year 13 institutions have been given grants under this scheme. Amongst them are Artists' Combine, Gwalior; National Music Association, Cuttack; Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi; Kala Vikas Kendra, Cuttack; Varadachar Memorial Art Association, Bangalore; All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi; and Indian National Threatre, New Delhi.

11.08.

Propagation of Culture Among Students:

To fami- liarize the growing generation with the diverse facets of India's cultural heritage, a scheme has been instituted for the propagation of culture among school and college students. The scheme is being administered, as a pilot project; 5 per cent of the secondary

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schools and 10 per cent of colleges will be covered during the 4th Plan. A refresher course will be provided to selected teachers from amongst chosen schools and colleges covered under the project. The schools and colleges will be supplied with kits consisting of slides, prints and photographs of monuments, paintings, sculptures, etc; tapes and discs of music, and similar other equipments.

11.09.

Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme:

To pro- vide promising young children with facilities to develop their talent in various forms of fine arts such as music, dance, painting, and sculpture, a scheme for the award of 125 scholarships a year has been initiated. Total outlay for the 4th Plan is Rs. 20 lakh. During the Plan period it is proposed to award such scholarships to 375 children.

11.10.

Financial Assistance to Eminent Writers, artists etc. in Indigent Circumstances:

Originally introduced during 1952-53, the scheme was revised in April 1961. All grants under the scheme are given on a sharing basis; the State and Central Governments bear the expenditure in the ratio, of 1:2 Expenditure on grantees from union territories is borne entirely by the Central Government.

A new scheme for the grant of maintenance allowance to the indigent artists of regional and national fame has been approved under the 4th Plan. It is proposed to give grants to about 25 persons every year under this new scheme, the Central Government, meeting full cost of the allowance.

11.11.

Institutions Engaged in Literary Activities, and Special Cultural Studies:

During 1970-71, a few institutions like the Institute of Traditional Cultures, Madras, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, etc. were assisted under the scheme.

The institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi, started functioning in November, 1968. The main aim of the Institute

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is to award degrees for Madhyama, Shastri, Acharya, etc. At present there are 230 students and 15 lecturers in this Institute, which is being financed fully by the Ministry.

The School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh, was established in1959 as an autonomous organisation. The entire expenditure on the School is borne by the Government of India.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok, is an institution engaged in research on Buddhist Tibetanism. The institute is being aided both by the Sikkim Darbar and the Government of India. In so far as the Government of India are concerned, a sum of Rs. 50,000 is being paid annually as a maintenance grant. During the year, two research fellowships in Tibetanism, each of the value of Rs. 400 per mensem, have been approved for this Institute.

C: MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES

11.12.

Reorganisation and Development of Museums:

Financial assistance is extended to private museums, under this scheme for minor building extensions, equipment, publication and training of museum staff. On the basis of priorities, indicated by the Central Advisory Board of Museums, proposals are invited from the private museums in the country and grants-in-aid are sanctioned. The scheme also provides for financial assistance to a few scholars, for research in museology.