CHAPTER I CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The main institutions and programmes in this field followed by the Department of Culture are :
(1) Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and other institutions engaged in literary and cultural activities;
(2) Propagation of culture including financial assistance for performing arts and cultural organisations;
(3) Centenary celebrations;
(4) Gazetteer work; and
(5) Cultural agreements, cultural exchange programmes, in-coming and out-going cultural delegations.
A. THE AKADEMIES AND OTHER CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS With a view to preserving, fostering and developing the creative arts-literary, performing and plastic, the Government of India has set-up three National Akademies viz. Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi and the National School of Drama. The main activities undertaken by these organisations during the year under report are given below :
Sahitya AkademiThe main activities of the Akademi are Organisation of symposia and seminars on subjects of creative literature, translation and publication of outstanding Indian and foreign classics into various Indian languages and awards to outstanding books of creative merit.
The Akademi organised the following symposia and seminars during the year :
(1) A seminar on `Nationalism and the Poet' to mark the birth centenary of the Malayalam poet Vallathol was organised in New Delhi and Trichur.
223
224
(2) A symposium to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Leo Tolstoy was held at Bombay.
Besides these seminars, the Akademi organised two exhibitions of its publications---one at New Delhi and the other at Trichur.
The Akademi published 33 books and released 3 issues of its journal in English, Indian Literature, and one issue of its journal in Sanskrit, Samskrita Pratibha.
The Akademi has given 20 awards to 20 books in various Indian languages, the details of which are given below:
Language Book Author
(Subject)
1. Assamese Pita Putra (Novel) Homen Bargohain
2. Bengali Vivekananda O Samaka- Sanskari Prosad Bose
lin Bharatvarsa, Vol.
I,II & III (Biography
and Cultural History)
3. Dogri Sanjhi Dharti Bakhle Narshingh Dev Jamwal
Mahnu (Novel)
4. English Fire on the Mountain Anita Desai
(Novel)
5. Gujarati Hayati (Poetry) Harindra Dave
6. Hindi Utna Vah Suraj Hai B.B. Agarwal
(Peotry)
7. Kannada Hasuru Honnu B.G.L. Swamy
(Travelogue)
8. Konkani Manni Punav (Humourous D.K. Sukthankar
Essays)
9. Maithilli Baji Uthal Murali Upendra Thakur
(Poetry) Mohan
10. Malayalam Ratrimazha (Poetry) Sugathakumari
11. Manipuri Ngabong Khao (Drama) G.C. Tongbra
12. Marathi Nakshatranche Dene Arati Prabhu
(Poetry)
13. Nepali Khahare (Short Stories) Shiva Kumari Rai
14. Oriya Saptama Ritu (Poetry) Ramakanta Rath
15. Punjabi Orvar Par (Short Stories) Gurmukh Singh Musafir
16. Rajasthani Meve Ra Runkh (Novel) Annaram (Sudama)
17. Sindhi Cheekha (Poetry) H.I. Sadarangani
18. Tamil Pudukavithain Thottra- Vallikkannan
mum Valarchiyum
(Criticism)
19. Telugu Collected works of Krishna D.V. Krishna Sastry
Sastry (6 Volumes ) (Poetry
& Plays)
20. Urdu Hafiz and Iqbal Yusuf Husain Khan
(Criticism)
225
Shri Umashankar Joshi, President of the Akademi visited the USSR in September, 1978 to participate in the 150th Birth anniversary celebrations of Leo Tolstoy and Dr. R. S. Kelkar, Secretary of the Akademi attended the 52nd conference of the Union Academique Internationale at Bruxelles.
Lalit Kala Akademi The important programmes of the Akademi during the year were the organisation of exhibitions, publication of art books, journals and multi-coloured reproductions and award of fellowships.
Among the important exhibitions organised by the Akademi during the year, mention may be made of the following:-
(a) Indian exhibitions organized abroad (i) An exhibition of twenty six paintings and sculptures by twenty six artists selected from the permanent collections of the Lalit Kala Akademi, and a few from galleries was sent to Moscow.
(ii) The Department of Culture and the Lalit Kala Akademi jointly organised an exhibition of 64 contemporary paintings by 15 artists representing a wide cross-section of contemporary art in Romania in August, 1978.
(iii) An exhibition of Indian Art comprising 46 works by 11 Indian artists residing and working in New York was organised at the Consulate of India, New India House, New York on 27th September, 1978.
(b) Foreign exhibitions in India (i) An exhibition of Designs from Finland was jointly organised by the Embassy of Finland and the Lalit Kala Akademi in November, 1978.
(ii) Copies of medieval Yugoslav Frescos were exhibited in Delhi, Madras and Calcutta.
(c) Indian exhibitions in India (i) Akademi's Circulating exhibition comprising their collections was shown in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.
226
(ii) National Exhibition of Art in New Delhi.
The Akademi brought out the following publications during the period under report :-
(i) No. 24-25 of the, Journal "Lalit Kala Contemporary" and "Lalit Kala Ancient No,. 18".
(ii) A book "Moving Focus" by Shri K. G. Subramanyan.
(iii) In multi-colour reproduction series, the Akademi has brought out three prints, one by Jogan Chaudhury, another by Prabhakar Barwa and one by Shri Tyeb Mehta. One Mysore Style painting Shri Rajarajeshwari has also been brought out.
S/Shri P. T. Reddy and Dhanraj Bhagat have been elected as fellows of the Akademi.
As a programme for decentralizing the activities of the Akademi, a Regional Centre was opened in Madras in October, 1978. The Regional Centre will cover Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry. Besides the land which has been donated by the Tamil Nadu Government, the State Government shared 50 per cent of the cost of construction of the building which cost Rs. 8 lakhs.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Apart from the support given to projects and programmes which are a regular feature of its work, the Akademi, during the year under report, laid special emphasis on developmental activities directed towards the future well-being of the socio-culture fabric of the country. Instead of giving priority to the arts which have already received recognition in urban metropolitan centres, the Akademi's new priorities were in areas of preservation and systematic documentation of languishing forms in the performing arts. Assistance is now available for the totality of efforts which includes support to performers, scholarships to train new learners and monies for renovation of materials and equipment. Amongst the forms which have been so identified am Koodiyattam (Kerala), Bhagwat Mela Natakam (Tamil Nadu), Pavakocthu-Glove Puppets (Kerala), Ravan Chhaya Leather Puppets (Orissa), Chhau-Seraikella (Bihar), Dhrupad and Tappa (Uttar Pradesh), Chandaini (Madhya Pradesh), Maach (Madhya Pradesh), Bhavai (Gujarat), Alaha (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhand Pather (Kashmir).
227
Concerted efforts are now being made to document these forms on a scientific basis. The Akademi had collected over the years valuable materials in the shape of films, photographs, video-recordings, slides, discs, cassettes, but these were not properly archived and scientifically documented. All these materials are now being properly codified, indexed and archived and a satisfactory retrievable system is introduced to ensure interaction with similar collections, in India and in foreign countries.
One of Akademi's main concerns has been directed towards bridging the gap between the world of science and world of culture. Realising that Indian music has had a profund scientific basis for its theory, the Akademi opened a new section to conduct and co-ordinate researches in the acoustics of music. Initially considerable spade work had been done by way of organising seminars, workshops and lectures in various parts of the country. Reports of these were published. Financial aid was extended to scientists and musicologists for research in this field. While this programme continued, the Akademi proposes to institute fellowships to assist research workers, and for the production of short educative firm on `Voice Culture' which is of prime importance but which has remained neglected. The Akademi is co- operating with a number of universities, research bodies and scholars in this work.
The Akademi has also given emphasis to dissemination, by reaching out to the public, and organising for this purpose performances on a thematic basis. Instead of organising programmes on an ad hoc basis, the new thrust is to select an area or a theme and to present it in its totality. In November 1978 an attempt was made to bring together the traditional performers of Shadow Theatre at a five-day festival of Shadow Theatre in Bangalore in collaboration with Karnataka Sangeet Natak Akademi. Nearly 50 persons, both traditional artists and scholars participated, to witness, analyse and suggest ways of future development of shadow puppet forms now surviving in Karnataka, Andhra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa. A Workshop was held and communication established between traditional practioners and those teaching these arts in educational system. Representatives of NCERT, University of Delhi, ICCR also participated in the festival and workshop with a view to utilising these forms for educational purposes and for projection abroad.
The area of its normal work included the presentation, on behalf of the Department of Culture, performances of the Central
228
Puppet Theatre, Sofia (Bulgaria), in October 1978 and presentation, on behalf of ICCR, of the dance ensemble of G. D. R. in October 1978. The Akademi in previous years announced Fellowships and gave awards to distinguished artists representing the highest standard of excellence and achievements in the field of music, dance and drama. They were given to the following persons :
Fellowship
Music
Theatre
Dance The Akademi continued publications programme including issues of SANGEET NATAK. Publication of other works on hand are : Aesthetical Essays on Hindustani Rhythms, Rasleela Tatha Rasnukaran Vikas, Music and Dance in Rabindranath Tagore's Education Philosophy, and Sange. Other titles include Who's Who of Indian Musicians, Anthology of Muthuswami Dikshitar and Monographs on Bhaona, Malushahi Ballads and Kariala. The Akademi continued to give grants to institutions. In addition the Chairman sanctioned discretionary grants to selected individuals and organisations.
National School of Drama The School and its Repertory Company was engaged in a large number of performances. During the period under report, the School and its Repertory Company produced 8 new plays and gave 98 performance of various old and new productions. 40 performances were given by the school in which only students
229
of the school participated. Some of the important productions of the school and the Repertory Company were:-
Repertory Company Productions 1. Mukhya Mantri
School Productions 2. Oedipus Rex (In Hindustani)
3. Nar Bakshi
4. Ek Lik Kathi
5. Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja
6. Lower Depth (Hindustani)
7. Handful of Dust (Hindi)
8. Hedda Gablar (Hindustani)
The school also invited a number of eminent persons including some foreign experts for delivering lectures and giving demonstrations for the benefits of the students.
To give an opportunity to children of the 8-14 years age groups the National School of Drama organised a 6 months training for them in Voice, Speech, Acting and Movement in collaboration with the Childrens' Creative Theatre as already run by Miss Sushma Seth. This is the first time when children were given a chance to show their talent the media of drama, within the professional expertise, contributed by the National School of Drama.
To take the theatre from the capital into the neglected pro- vincial stream, where professional expertise is not easily available, the National School of Drama organised a Theatre Workshop at Gandhigram Rural University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
At the invitation of the American Government, Dr. B. V. Karnath, Director of the School visited important cities of America in June/July, 1978 to observe the community theatre activities in the U.S.A., in particular the interesting experiments which are being undertaken in that country in developing community theatre activities amongst social groups of different kind of people such as Negroes, Youth etc.
230
Dr. L. M. Singhvi was appointed as the Chairman of the National School of Drama.
School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh The School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh is an autonomous Organisation fully financed by the Government of India. It was established in 1959 to impart education in modern and classical Tibetan Studies on the monastic pattern to enable Lamas to receive training in Tibetan-Buddhism. The School is managed by a Board of Management with a senior officer of the Department of Culture, as ex- officio Chairman. The other Members of the Board include a representative each of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, All Ladakh Gumpa Association and Ladakh Buddhist Association, Leh and scholars of Buddhist Philosophy and Tibetan language, The School follows a course of 7 years-5 years for Purva Madhyama and two years thereafter for Uttar Madhyama of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvidyalaya, Varanasi, to which it is affiliated. The School has a capacity to admit up to 80 students. Each student is paid a stipend of Rs. 80/- per month.
Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi The main objective of the Institute are preservation of Tibetan Culture and tradition and imparting teaching of ancient and traditional subjects through a modern university educational framework and conducting research in Tibetan studies. The Institute was established in 1967 and is functioning as a registered Society wholly financed by the Government of India. The Institute is managed by a Board of Governors of which Joint Educational Adviser Department of Culture is the ex-officio, Chairman. The other Members of the Board include representative of the Ministry of External Affairs and Finance, representative of H. H. the Dalai Lama and eminent scholars nominated by the Government of India. Presently the Institute is located at Sarnath, Varanasi in various rented buildings. Now the Institute has purchased a plot of land measuring 8.25 acres at Sarnath to house it in a building complex of its own. The work of construction of buildings for the Institute and its hostels etc. are proposed to be taken up in the next financial year. During the year under Report the Institute has 218 students on rolls and a complement of 20 teaching staff including the Principal.
231
Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok The Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok is engaged in research and development of Tibetology i.e. Chhos. The Institute is financed by the Government of Sikkim and the Government of India, both contributing Rs. 1 lakh each annually for its maintenance.
B. PROPAGATION OF CULTURE
Propagation of Culture among College and School Students The objective of the scheme is to expose the students in our schools and colleges, the teachers and the teacher educators to the rich and diverse cultural heritage of our country so that they may grasp the inherent unity underlying the diversity of our Cultural forms. The scheme has three parts viz.
(i) organising of refresher courses for teachers drawn from secondary schools and colleges in different parts of the country ;
(ii) production of educational kits; and
(iii) acquainting the student community with artistic heritage of India as an integral part of Indian culture.
During the period under report 6 Orientation Courses were organised for the teachers and teacher educators at Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Agra, Goa and Delhi. About 300 kits are proposed to be produced during the period.
Institutions engaged in literary and cultural activities The Government of India in the Department of Culture has been assisting Institutions of all-India character of the type such as Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, Jallianwala, Bagh National Memorial Trust, Amritsar, Institute of Traditional Cultures, Madras, PEN All India Centre, Bombay, Numismatic Society of India, Varanasi. Some of the Institutions like Asiatic Society Calcutta, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta are given grants on the basis of the recommendations of the committees, constituted by the Government of India from
232
time to time. The other institutions are given maintenance grants in token of the services rendered by these institutions towards the cause of literary and cultural development of the country.
Building Grants to Voluntary Cultural OrganisationsUnder this scheme, a number of cultural organisations primarily working in the cultural fields of dance, drama, music, fine arts, indology, literature (other than religious institutions), public libraries, museums, municipalities, school and universities were selected for grants for construction purposes and purchase of equipment during the year.
Scheme of Inter-State Exchange of Cultural Troupes The objective of the scheme is to enable people from different parts of India to know more about the culture of different regions and thereby promote emotional and cultural integration of the country. Under it selected troupes of performing artists visit States other than their own. The scheme has been revised so as to enable the State Governments to take more interest in the scheme. During the period under report about 8 troupes visited other States/Union Territories for performing their programmes.
Financial Assistance to professional Dance-Drama and Theatre
Ensembles The objective of the scheme is to provide help to performing troupes in the country which have been working in the field through purely voluntary efforts over the last 10 to 15 years. 15 dance-drama and theatre groups were in receipt of grants under the scheme during the year 1978-79. It has since been decided to institute the following two schemes in lieu of this during 1979-80 :
(i) Scheme for financial assistance to institutions of national importance in the field of performing arts;
(ii) Scheme for financial assistance to professional groups as well as individuals engaged in different fields of performing arts.
233
C. SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS
(i)Scheme for the award of fellowship to the outstanding
artists in the fields of the performing, the literary
and plastic arts The Scheme provides basic financial support for either very advanced training or individual creative effort or, for revival of some of our traditional forms of art to outstanding men, in the fields of the literary, the plastic and the performing arts in the age group roughly 25-60 years. Under the scheme, 16 fellowships of Rs. 500 per month each are awarded each year tenable for two years.
(ii) Scholarships to Young Workers in different Cultural Fields Under the Scheme, 50 scholarships are awarded every year to young artists of outstanding promise in the age group of 18-28 years for advanced training within India in the fields of Hindustani Music, Karnatak Music, Western Music, classical forms of Indian dances, Traditional Theatre, Drama, Painting and Sculpture. The value of a scholarship is Rs. 350 per month and the duration is for two years. In exceptional cases the scholarship is extended by another year. 47 scholarships were awarded under this scheme during 1978.
(iii) Cultural Talent Search Scholarships Scheme This is a plan scheme under which facilities are provided to outstanding_ young children in the age-group of 10-14 years, studying in recognised schools, to develop their talents in various cultural fields, namely, traditional forms of Indian dances, music, and theatre as well as painting and sculpture. Upto one hundred scholarships are awarded every year out of which 25 are reserved for children belonging to `Ghaaranas' and `Sampradayas'. The scholarships are granted on year to year basis till the completion of secondary stage of education by the awardees or up to the age of 18 years, whichever is earlier. The value of scholarships is Rs. 600 per annum but where the child is required to shift to a new station for purpose of specialised training in the approved fields the value is increased to Rs. 1.200 per annum. In both cases, the actual fee paid for the specialised training is reimbursed to scholarship holder, subject to a maximum of Rs. 1000 per annum. 100 scholarships have been awarded during 1978. The scheme for the award of scholarships for 1979 is also being announced and State Governments
234
are being requested to recommend candidates. In addition eminent persons connected with institutions working in the field of promotion of cultural activities have been requested to recommend suitable candidates from the families or practising traditional forms of dances, music and other arts at least for-the last three generations. Candidates recommended by these eminent persons will also be considered along with the candidates recommended by the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.
(iv) Scheme of financial assistance to persons distinguished in
letters, arts and such other walks of life who may be in indigent
circumstances and their dependents The scheme provides financial assistance to persons distinguished in letters, arts etc. who may be in indigent circumstances and to their dependants who are left unprovided. Under the scheme a monthly allowance of upto Rs. 200 is given to persons who are above 58 years and whose monthly income is below Rs. 400. Under the Scheme 1/3rd expenditure is shared by State Governments. In case of Union Territories and in exceptional cases the entire expenditure is borne by the Government of India. At present 415 persons are receiving monthly allowance under the scheme.
D. CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
Memorial to Mahatma Gandhi on Beliaghata Road, Calcutta It has been decided to give Rs. 6.00 lakhs to the Government of West Bengal for setting up a memorial at 150-B, Beliaghata Road, Calcutta where Mahatma Gandhi stayed in August, 1947 and prayed for communal harmony.
It is proposed to open an Adult Education Training Centre or a craftsman Training Centre on this site as a befitting monument to the Father of the Nation.
The Central Government contribution will mainly cover the cost of acquisition of the building and the adjoining land, repair and renovation of the building and cost of furniture and equipment etc. for the memorial.
235
Sur Panchshati Celebrations A Sur Panchshati Coordination Committee has been set up in the Department of Culture under the Chairmanship of Dr.P. C. Chunder, Union Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture for celebrating on a national level the 500th anniversary of the birth of Mahakavi Surdas from May, 1978 to April, 1979.
The year-long celebrations were inaugurated on May 12, 1978 (date of Mahakavi's birth) at Mavalankar Auditorium, New Delhi by the Vice- President of India. The highlight of the programme was the presentation of a Ras Leela Programme by a Ras Mandali from Vrindaban.
Some of the major programmes planned for the celebrations relate to translation of selected verses of Surdas into Indian languages (including English); opening of a library wing on Surdas in the Central Secretariat Library; development of places associated with Surdas; holding of seminars/lectures in universities and colleges; programmes on radio and television; organisation of a World Sur Conference and cultural programmes like Ras Leelas.
Other Centenary Programmes Financial assistance has been provided towards certain programmes in the celebration of 500th Anniversary of Swami Haridas, the birth centenary of Mahakavi Vallathol and the birth Centenary of the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
E. GAZETTEERS
District Gazetteers Under the scheme for the Revision of District Gazetteers, the drafts of 290 districts gazetteers have been completed so far. of which 280 have been approved for publication.
Gazetteer of India Out of the proposed four volumes of the Gazetteer of India, volume-I "Country and People", volume II-"History and Culture", and valume III-"Economic Structures and Activities" have been published. Volume IV- "Administration and Public
236
Welfare", the last volume in the series, has been published. As all the copies of volume I were sold out, its reprint was brought out. Some of the chapters of this volume such as `People', Languages, `Physiography' which have a wider public appeal, were also brought out separately in the form of booklets.
Revision of State Gazetteers It was decided to publish one State Gazetteer for each State. The State Gazetteers are intended to replace the provincial Gazetteers brought out during the British period.
Supplements to District Gazetteers The Supplements to District Gazetteers will update some of the material particularly economic data in the District Gazetteers which have become outdated. The Supplements will be brought out in respect of those District Gazetteers which were published 10 years back. The drafts of 8 Supplements have been completed, of which one supplement has been published.
Who's Who of Indian Martyrs The project of Who's Who of Indian Martyrs was completed and all its 3 volumes were published.
F. CULTURAL RELATIONS
Cultural Agreements and Exchange Programmes With a view to promoting cooperation with countries in the fields of education, culture, science and technology, medicine, agriculture, radio and television, film and press, art and sports, cultural agreements and exchange programmes are concluded with various countries from time to time. While cultural agreements provide for broad terms of policy in regard to cultural contacts between the two contracting parties and financial liabilities to be borne by each side, the Cultural Exchange Programmes are drawn up from time to time (one to 3 years) giving specific programmes of exchange during such periods. Such cooperation provides for exchange of professionals, artists, writers, scholars, journalists, doctors, agricultural experts, dance and music troupes, Organisation of films festivals, art exhibitions, exchange of scientific and technical information, books and publications, radio and TV programmes, etc.
237
Till the end last year, cultural agreements had been concluded with 51 countries. During this year, cultural agreements were signed with Malaysia and Zaire :
Till the end of last year, India had Cultural Exchange programmes with 23 countries. During this year, Cultural Exchange Programmes were signed with the following countries.
1. Vietnam
2. Syria
3. Republic of Korea
4. Cuba
5. Tunisia
Cultural Exchange Programmes with Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Mongolia and Czechoslovakia were also renewed during the year.
Cultural Delegations (Outgoing Delegations) As usual, several cultural delegations, both performing and non- performing, were sent abroad. The performing troupes comprised artists from the fields of ballet, Bharatanatyam, Oddissi, Kathak, Kathakali, folk dance and puppetry, and Indian popular and classical music. These troupes visited U.K., Algeria, Ghana, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Syria, U.A.E., Yeman and Egypt. Notable among the troupes sent were the 42 member dance ensemble consisting of the Darpana Troupe from Ahmedabad, the Kadamb School of Kathak of Ahmedabad, and Kathakali troupe of the Kerala Kala Mandalam, which visited China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Hongkong. Smt. Vijayantimala Bali and her troupe gave performances in Paris, etc. on the occasion of the exhibition of Indian art in Paris.
Delegations of experts from the fields of art and culture were also deputed to participate in festivals and seminars under the cultural exchange programmes with the USSR and to Australia to take part in the World Congress of Education through Art.
Exhibitions An exhibition of Indian Art, concerning the five thousand years from the Indus Valley Civilization to the Mughal period,
238
was arranged in the Petit Palais, Paris, that was on display from 17th November, 1978 to 15th February, 1979. Another exhibition of works of modern Indian artists has been sent on a tour of West Asia and East Europe.
Incoming Delegations The cultural delegations invited to visit India from foreign countries consist of performing delegations, non-performing dele- gations (like educationists, officials, musicians, writers, painters, scholars, indologists, etc.) and art exhibitions comprising paintings, photographs, graphic arts, posters etc.
Until October 31, 1978, three performing groups, one each from G.D.R., Yugoslavia and Bulgaria visited India and gave performances in Delhi and other parts of India. During the same period 4 art exhibitions-one each from Poland, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Romania were also received in India. These have been displayed in Delhi and a few other places in India.
The work relating to the visit of individual/non-performing delegations, both outgoing and incomings, in the fields of art, culture and literature had been transferred to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations with effect from 1975-76. The remaining work relating to the visits of performing delegations and art exhibitions from abroad under the Cultural Exchange Programmes has also been transferred to them with effect from 1st October, 1978. The Department of Culture will be releasing necessary funds to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to meet expenditure on the transferred items of work.
Presentation of books to foreign countries Under the scheme for presentation of books abroad, the Department sanctioned a sum of Rs. 2 lakhs to Indian Council for Cultural Relations which administers this scheme on behalf of the Department of Culture. The ICCR have presented books, during the current year, to some 38 countries in the world. Special mention may be made of gift of books to USA, Canada, Ghana, Thailand, Guyana, Fiji, Syria, Tanzania, USSR, Senegal and Algeria. Books worth Rs. 50,000 were sent to Bangladesh for presentation to various institutions. The total number of books so far sent during the current year is approximately 5,500.
239
Presentation of Art Objects Under the scheme for presentation of Art objects abroad, a sum of Rs. 50,000 is made available to ICCR.Under the schemes ICCR has despatched to various countries pieces of contemporary craft such as musical instruments, dolls, puppets, masks and costumes.
Essay Competition The ICCR is administering the scheme on behalf of the Department of Culture for which the Council is granted Rs. 50,000. The object of holding these competitions is to create a better understanding about the life and culture of India by arousing interest among the younger generation abroad. The missions organise these competitions every year for school and college students in their territories. The Council sends items of handicrafts, books and L.P. records etc. as prizes to the winners. During the current year, prizes for these competitions were awarded to competitors from 9 countries.
Assistance to Indo-Foreign Friendship Societies Indo-Foreign Friendship Societies situated in 50 countries are assisted by grants-in-aid as a measure for promoting cultural contacts with India. These societies organise lectures, festivals and exhibitions on Indian Art and Culture. They also entertain prominent visitors from India when they happen to be in the concerned countries. During 1978-79, a sum of Rs. 2.60 lakhs was paid to cover 75 societies through Indian Missions abroad.