CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The main institutions and programmes of the Department of Culture are:
(1) Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akadmi and other institutions engaged in literary and cultural activities;
(2) Cultural Agreements, Cultural Exchange Programmes, in-coining and out-going Cultural Delegations;
(3) Building Grants to Cultural Organisations ; Propagation of culture among college and school students, and Financial Assistance to Dance-Drama and Theatre Ensembles; and
(4) Cultural Scholarships and Cultural Talent Search Scholarships Scheme.
SAHITYA AKADEMI One Significant event of the year was the recognition of Napali language as an independent literary language of India by the Sahitya Akademi.
At special functions held at Nagpur (Maharashtra) on January 10, 1975, and at Calcutta on January 21, 1975, Dr. V.V Mirashi and Dr. Sukumar Sen were presented Fellowships by Smt. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India and Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, President, Sahitya Akademi respectively.
The Akademi participated in an exhibition of books in May, 1975 organised by Nagri Pracharini Sabha, Varanasi as a part of the celebration to mark the birth centenary of Dr. Shyam Sunder Das, at the Mavlankar Auditorium, New Delhi. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, President of India.
Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, President of the Sahitya Akademi attended the World Sanskrit Conference at Turin, Italy, in June, 1975. Dr. V. Raghavan, the Editor of Samskrita Pratibha and Prof. R. N. Dandekar, Convenor, Sanskrit Advisory Board, accompanied him as UNESCO delegates.
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Dr. C. R. Sarma, was deputed by the Akademi to attend the 49th conference of Union Academique International held at Munich from 15th to 21st June, 1975.
During this 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 36 publications in different languages.
The Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi selected 17 books in the various Indian languages for the Akademi Award, 1975. The winners of the Award are: (1) Shri Navakanta Barua (Assamese), (2) Shri Bimal Kar (Bengali), (3)Shri Krishan Samailpuri (Doll), (4) Shri Nirad C. Chaudhuri (English), (5) Shri Manubhai Pancholi 'Darshak' (Gujarati), (6) Shri Bhishma Sahni (Hindi), (7) Shri S. L. Bhyrappa (Kannada), (8) Shri Ghulan Nabi Khayal (Kashmiri), (9) Shri Girindramohan Misra (Maithili), (10) Shri O. N. V. Kurup (Malayalam), (11) Shri R. B. Patankar (Marathi), (12) Shri Radhamohan Gadnaik (Oriya), (13) Shri Gurdial Singh (Punjabi), (14) Shri Mani Madhukar (Rajasthan), (15) Shri R. Dhandayuthan (Tamil), (16) Shri Boyi Bhimanna (Telugu), (17) Shri Kaifi Azmi (Urdu).
LALIT KALA AKADEMI Among the important exhibitions organised by the Akademi during the year, mention may be made of the following:
(1) Travelling Exhibition: This exhibition of works selected from the Akademi's permanent collection, was shown in Trichur, Calicut and at Cochin School of Art, Eranakulam. There were also illustrated lectures on modern Indian art at these places.
(2) In coopertion with the Department of Culture and the Romanian Embassy, and exhibition of "Naive paintings from Romania" was organised in New Delhi from May 5 to 10, 1975.
(3) In cooperation with the cultural centre of the Italian Embassy the Akademi and the I.C.C.R. organised two exhibitions on Italian art.
(4) A photographic exhibition on Bramante, a Renais- sance architect, was organised in October-November, 1975 at the Lalit Kala Gallery. 96 panels of photographs and 3 wooden models of Bramante's architecture were on display.
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(5) Fifty years of Italian Graphics (1925-1972)-This exhibition of 66 works of 22 artists was on view at the Lalit Kala Gallery in November, 1975.
The Akademi brought out seven publications during the period under report.
SANGEET NATAK AKADMI 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 State Dignitaries, including H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Sir John Kerr, Governor-General of Australia and H.E.L.E. Alvarez, President of the United Maxican States.
2. Organised programmes in honour of the Delegates to the Sixth Regional Conference of the National Commission of Asia and Oceamia in November, 1975.
3. Organised programmes for the celebrations of the 7th Centenary of Amir Khusrau Dehlavi in January 1976.
4. The Akademi organised celebrations of the bi-centenary of the celebrated South Indian composer Muthuswami Dikshitar by holding concerts in different centres of the country, such as Delhi, Calcutta, Varanasi and Trivandrum. The Akademi is also bringing out a publication in the form of an anthology of 25 songs of Dikshitar with their translation in Hindi and notation in the Bhatkhande system of Hindustani music. The Akademi has instituted a Fellowship, initially for one year, for specialised training in the songs of Dikshitar.
5. The Akademi presented a lecture-demonstration by leading experts on the life and work of the ystic Saint-Singer of Tamilnadu, Shri Arunagirinathar
6. The Akademi is organising a 3-day festival of young Musicians covering talent drawn from all over the country. This is slated for the first week of February 1976.
7. The Akademi is presenting a Festival of contemporary ballet in the middle of February 1976. This will last 4 days and offer 8 groups with their recent productions.
8. A Seminar on Theatre Training is being organised by the Akademi towards the end of February 1976. This wilt deal With the importance and objectives of training in theatre and explore
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ways and means for linking these objectives with the crystallisation of a National Indian Theatre.
The Akademi's Journal SANGEET NATAK completed ten years of its publication. During the year, four quarterly issues were brought out.
In collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Dhrupad Mela Samiti a Dhrupad seminar was organised in Varanasi in February 1975.
A Workshop on Khyal singing was held in Bombay in collaboration with the Department of Music, Bombay University in March 1975.
Under the Plan Scheme 'Research in the, Science of Music a Seminar on the Psychology of Music was organised in January 1975 in collaboration with the Department of Experimental Psychology, Poona University. The Proceedings of the Seminar are being published.
A Seminar on musical scales was held in March 1975 in col- laboration with Sarjana, Calcutta.
The Report of the Symposium on Musical Scales held in 1973 has been published.
A Workshop on the Science of Music was held in Bangalore in October 1975 in collaboration with the Department of Dance Drama and Music, Bangalore University.
Under the Plan Scheme "Documentation, Research and Building up of Archives', the Okademi's recording limit took about 40 hours of taperecording, took more than 500 potographs in colour and in black and white and about 3,000 feet of 16 mm movie film both in colour and black and white. The 11 projects undertaken for the purpose included Rod puppets of Uttar Pradesh, Swang theatre of Haryana, Tol Bomalatta, shadow play of Andhra Pradesh folk Sarangis of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Akademi's book library added 449 new volumes to it. A reference library comprising 300 books was set up at Bangalore at the time of the Workshop in the Science of Music. The dise library of the Akademi has acquired 88 new discs.
The Akademi has selected six gurus who will impart training in music, dance and drama under the Fellowship Scheme of the Akademi.
The Akademi has selected 10 forms of music, dance and Crania which are suffering from want of proper patronage for subsidizing shows and providing training to students
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The Akademi selected following eminent artistes for awards, during 1975:-
Fellowships 1. Shri Rasiklal Chhotalal Parikh.
2. Pandit Ravi Shankar.
3. Smt. T. Balasaraswathi.
4. Shri Zubin Mehta.
5. Shri Embar Vijayaraghavachariar.
Awards
Music 1. Shri Bhimsen Joshi (Hindustani Music-Vocal).
2. Shri Ram Narain (Hindustani Instrumental Music- Sarangi).
3. Mangalampalli Shri Balamurali Krishna (Karnatak-Music-Vocal).
4. Shri C. S. Murugabhoopathy (Karnatak Music-Instru- mental- Maridangam).
5. Shri N. P. Krishnan Kutty Nambisan (Dance Instru- mental Music-Maddalam).
6. Smt. Induala (Music).
Dance 1. Shri Krishna Chandra Naik (Chhau Dance-Guru).
2. Smt. Rajani Naibi (Manipuri).
3. Kumari Roshan Kumari (Kathak).
4. Shri K. Sankaran Kutty Panikker (Kathakali).
Drama 1. Shri Bijon Bhattacharya (Playwriting).
2. Smt. Vijaya Mehtra, (Direction).
3. Smt. Molina Devi (Acting-Bengali).
4. Shri Ugam Raj (Folk Theatre-Khyal)
NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA The National School of Drama and Asian Theatre Institute, constituent unit of the Sangeet Natak Akademi has been registered as a new society known as the National School of Drama. The activities of the School relate to the training in the field of
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acting, direction and production of drama, conducting and promoting research and survey in classical, traditional and modern drama, fostering cultural and academic contacts within India as well as with other countries through exchange of personnel and research material.
Institutions and Organisations engaged in literary and Cultural
activities
Institutions Receiving Annual Grants During 1973-74 some important institutions like the Institute of Traditional Culture, 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 Committees. The reports on Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Indian Academy of Philosophy, Calcutta and Rama Krishna Mission Institute have since been received and are under examination.
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 maintenance of the Institute.
Daira-tul-Maarif-il Osmania The Daira-tul-Marrif-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. 90,000/-.
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.
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On the recommendations of a Review Committee, the Institute was 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.
In 1975-76 Rs. 18,000/- have been released for the purpose. Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi
The Institute was established in November, 1967. It 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.
At present, there are about 246 students on the roll of the Institute and the teaching strength comprises 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, Vishistacharya/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.
School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh The School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh, an autonomous or- ganisation fully financed by the Department was established in October, 1959. It is registered under the J. & K. Societies Re- gistration Act and has a Board of Management which includes scholars of Buddhist philosophy and the Tibetan Language, a representative of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, a representative of the Ladakh Gompa Association, Ladakh Buddhist Association and officials of the Central Government. A hostel building and some staff quarters are to be taken up for construction as
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plan programmes for which the State Government has been asked to make available a ;suitable plot of land. Efforts are also being made to find a suitable agency which can be entrusted with the work of construction.
Award of fellowships to outstanding artists in the fields of the
performing, the literary and the plastic arts. There are two types of fellowships one for Rs. 1000/- p.m. and the other for Rs. 500/- p.m. The number of fellowships in the former category is 4 and 8 in the latter category. The Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of the Education Minister will finally decide the awards.
Scheme of financial assistance to persons distinguished in letters
etc. It is actually a continuance of the 1961 scheme which remained suspended from 1969-70. The scheme has been publicised through the State Government's and Union Territory Administrations. The grants under the scheme are given on a sharing basis with the State Governments who are required to pay one third share of the expenditure involved.
Centenary Celebrations During the period under report, the following important pro- grammes were undertaken in connection with the celebrations of the 2500th Anniversary of Bhagwan Mabavir's Nirvan, the Birth Centenary of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel and the 700th Anniversary of Amir khusrau.
2500th Anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir's Nirvan One of the programmes approved for the celebrations, of the 2500th anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir's Nirvan relates to the 'Development of a Vanasthali' in South Delhi named after Bhagwan Mahavir. The Vansthali will be developed and maintained by the Government as a national park. An area of land measuring about 25 acres has been allotted for the purpose, out of ridge area lying close to Buddha Jayanti Park. The Directorate of Horticulture, C.P.W.D. will be responsible for the maintenance of the Vansthali. The project was inaugurated by the Vice-President of India at a function held on the 27th April 1975 which was presided over by Shri Raghuramaiah, Union Minister for Works & Housing.
Some of the other programmes undertaken in this connection are the establishment of Bhagwan Mahavir Memorial in Delhi, setting up of Bal Kendras and Rural Library Centres under the
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name of Bhagwan Mahavir in various States, release of a special commemorative stamp, special programmes in All India Radio, etc.
Birth Centenary Celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel As a part of the programme for the celebrations, the National Police Academy, Abu was renamed as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Abu. An Exhibition of the official and private papers of Sardar Patel was also organised by the National Archives of India as part of the celebrations of his birth centenary. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Vice-President of India at a function held on 19th May, 1975 at the National Archieves of India premises, New Delhi and it was kept open upto 29th May, 1975.