 FINE ARTS

The two National Akademies, namely, Sangeet Natak and Lalit Kala, continued to carry out extensive programmes in. their respective fields of performing arts and plastic arts. A brief account of their activities is given below :

A. SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI

2. The Akademi was set up in 1953 to foster and develop, Indian Dance, Drama and Music. It is now registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

3. The Akademi co-ordinates the activities of regional or State Akademies of Music, Dance and Drama, promotes research in the fields of the performing arts, encourages the exchange of ideas and enrichment of techniques between the different regions of the country in regard to music and dance.

4. The Akademi annually gives awards to distinguished exponents of the three performing arts and honours them by electing them Fellow of the Akademi. The Akademi also gives financial assistance to the various institutions in the fields of music, dance and drama for their developmental projects. The Akademi also accords recognition to institutions in the fields of music, dance and drama.

5. Award and Fellowships:

The eminent-scholars and artists who were elected Fellows of the Akademi for-1966, are: (1) Shri Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar Bahadur, Maharaja of Mysore, (2) Shri E. Krishna Iyer, (3) Shri Sambhu Mitra, and (4) Shri Asutosh Bhattacharya. Besides, awards were given to the following, Persons for their distinguished contribution in the different fields:

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MUSIC: Shri Shakoor Khan -Hindustani Instrumental

Smt. Siddheshwari Devi-Hindustani Vocal

Shri P. S. Veeruswamy Pillai-Karnatak Instrumental

Shri M. R. Srirengam Iyengar - Karnatak Vocal

DANCE: Smt. Swarnasaraswathi-Bharatnatyam

Shri Kelu Charan Mohapatra-Odissi

Shri V. B. Ramaiyya Pillai-Teacher in Classical Dance (Bharatnatyam)

6. The annual awards presentation ceremony was held on 2nd January, 1967, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, who is also the Chairman of the Akademi. The award ceremony was followed by an Evening of Music and Dance by some of the award-winners on 3rd January, 1967.

7. Fourth Five-Year Plan:

A sum of Rs. 22.50 lakhs has been earmarked for the schemes included in the fourth Plan. These include; (a) Survey of Folk Music, Folk Dance and Folk Drama in India (b) Research Unit for the study of the science of music; and (c) Development of the Akademi's Museum.

8. Schools of Drama/Dance:

The National School of Drama, New Delhi, which is run by the Akademi, offers a broad-based three-year course in the theory and practice of the theatre. It presented several plays, during the year. Special mention way be made of The Torjan Women, Tughlaq Ghosts and Lahron Ke Rajhans. The school also organised a number of lecture-demonstrations on various aspects of theatre, dance and painting.

9. The Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, which is also run by the Akademi, offers training in Kathak style of dancing. During the year the Ballet Unit of the Kendra worked on several short ballet pieces. The Unit also prepared a full-length ballet Krishnayana which was presented in September, 1966. The Unit was also invited to other cities and gave performances.

10. The Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy offers training in Manipuri dance. The Academy dance team was invited, during the year, to various centres to give performances.

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The Unit also presented Geet Govind in Manipuri style during a programme called Geet Govind Celebrations organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in March, 1967.

11. Cultural Programmes:

During the period under review, the Akademi organized a large number of cultural programmes. These included lectures, demonstrations by experts on various aspects of dance, drama and music, presentation of special music and dance recitals, organisation of workshops, Round Tables and exhibitions on specialized themes pertaining to these subjects. Some of these cultural programmes are briefly mentioned below:

(i) The Akademi organised Choreographers' Workshop in May, 1966 under the leadership of Mr. Petre Bodeut, the eminent Rumanian Choreographer, who was in India at the invitation of the Government of India. Indian choreographers from several parts of the country were invited to participate in the workshop. Possibilities of adopting folk dancer, for modem stages and urban audience, was explored in this workshop.

(ii) The Akademi organised a Round Table on Folk Arts in which a number of distinguished scholars and field workers from different parts of the country participated. The object of the Round Table was to assess the current state and level of work done in the field of folk arts and also to evolve a definite, policy and a more systematic programme for the documentation, study and research of the folk arts in the country. The Round Table made a number of recommendations regarding the technical and organizational problems of the study of folk arts. It also recommended that a Central Institute of Folk Arts may be established for a more comprehensive and coordinated programme in this field.

(iii) Shri S. M. Mshvelidze and Shri E. L. Lazarev-the distinguished Soviet Composers - who had come to India under the Indo-Soviet Cultural

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Agreement gave a lecture on Soviet music and played excerpts from their compositions.

(iv) Dr. Tra Van Khe, a leading authority of Vietnamese music and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Music Council, Unesco, gave an illustrated talk on the inter-relationship of Indian and Vietnamese music.

(v) The Akademi held a memorial programme in the memory of the late Ustad Moinuddin Khan Dagar who passed away on the 24th June, 1966. The programme was exclusively devoted to the Dagar Bani of Dhrupad singing in which the late Ustad made important contribution. The three brothers of the late Ustad, who are also eminent musicians in their own right specially participated in the programme.

(vi) Under its programme of documentation the Akademi recorded several eminent musicians specially those who have in the past received Akademi awards. These recordings will enrich the tape music library of the Akademi. This programme is to be further expanded to cover folk music as well as theatre music of different regions.

B.LALIT KALA AKADEMI

12. Lalit Kala Akedami was set up to foster and co-ordinate activities in the sphere of visual and plastic arts. Inaugurated in August, 1954, the Akademi now functions as an autonomous organisation and is registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Akademi is entirely financed by the Union Government.

13. Centring round the promotion of visual and plastic arts, the main programme of the Akademi consists of organising exhibitions, bringing out publications, granting recognition and financial assistance to art organisations, copying frescoes, and giving awards to artists. The activities of the Akademi during the year are outlined below:

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14. Participation in International Exhibitions :

The Akademi participated in the following international activities:

(i) 33rd Venice Biennale (Italy) which opened in Venice on June 18, 1966 and continued till October 16, 1966.

(ii) 9th International Exhibition of Drawings and Engravings which opened in Lugane (Switzerland) on April 8 and continued till June 5, 1966. A collection of the works of three artists, namely, J. Sultan Ali, Arun Bose and Gunen Ganguli was sent for the exhibition.

(iii) World's First Non-Abstract Paintings Exhibition. It was organised in Tokyo between April 4 and 9, 1966, to which the work of eight Indian artists, namely, K.C.S. Paniker, K.K Hebbar, Bhabesh Sanyal, Shiavax Chayda, K. Sreeivasulu, Y. K. Shukla, Nirode Mazumdar and Madhav Satwalckar were sent.

(iv) Tokyo International Exhibitions of Art. The Akademi participated in this exhibition by sending a collection of works by ten artists. They are: N. S. Bendre, Shanti Dave, Bimal Das Gupta, K. C. S. Paniker, H. A. Gade, B. C. Sanyal, Sankho Chaudhuri, Prodosh Das Gupta, Somnath Hore and M.F. Husain.

(v) First Triennale of Insitic Art, Czechoslovakia. A consignment of 25 exhibits by seven untutored artists was displayed at the exhibition. The names of these artists are: A. Karim, Nakali Ram, Reghbir Singh, Shivnandan Roy, Mathar Singh, Itwari Lal and Mavasi Ram.

15. Exhibitions at Home:

(i) The Akademi and the USIS jointly organised an exhibition of 'Graphics from USA' which was shown in the Lalit Kala Gallery between October 17 and 29, 1966. Fifty graphics and other advertisement material like posters, show cards, folders, wrappers, magazine covers, etc. were displayed.

(ii) The Akademi, in collaboration with the Max Mueller Bhavan, organized an exhibition 'German Expressionism'. It consisted of reproductions of paintings and books on 20th Century German Art. The Exhibition was shown in the Lalit Kala

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Gallery between December 10 and 18, 1966. During the period, lectures and film shows on German Expressionism were also organised.

(iii) An exhibition of a selection of unusual forms in ceramics by Nirmala Patwardhan was organised between April 7 and 14, 1966.

(iv) The Exhibition of Polish Graphic Art and Poster wax sponsored under the Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange Programme. The exhibition which contained 170 works of art, both graphics and posters, was shown in New Delhi from 2nd to 8th January, 1967, and later in Lucknow and Hyderabad.

(v) The Akademi organised the National Exhibition of Art in January, 1967. It consisted of 105 paintings, 27 sculptures and 33 graphics and drawings selected from a large number of items entered into the exhibition.

(vi) The Akademi has received an exhibition of Yugoslav Graphics from Yugoslavia under the Cultural Exchange Programme of the Government of India. The exhibition will be held at Ahmedabad, Delhi, Amritsar and Bombay

(vii) The Akademi is shortly organising for the first time in India, an exhibition of original American paintings entitled 'Two Decades of American Paintings'. The exhibition is being sent by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

16. One-Man Shows:

The Akademi organised, during the year, a series of one-man shows at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.

17. Sculptors' Camp:

The 3rd Sculptors' Camp was organised by the Akademi from December 19, 1966 to 20th January. 1967 at the Akademi's Studios, Bistidari Malcha, in Delhi.

C. PROGRAMMES OF ASSISTANCE TO STATE GOVERNMENTS/ORGANISATIONS/ INDIVIDUAL WORKERS

18. Inter-State Exchange of Cultural Troupes:

The main object of the scheme is to promote the emotional and cultural integration of the country. During the year, the troupes from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Maharashtra, Mysore and West Bengal visited other States. A few other visits have also been planned.

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19. Sponsoring of Cultural Troupes for the Entertainment of the Armed Forces:

The main object of the scheme is to provide entertainment to the armed forces in the forward areas. So far troupes from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madras, Maharashtra, Orissa and Rajasthan have visited the forward areas

20. Promotion of Drama Movement in the Country:

A provision of Rs. 1,00,000 exists in 1966-67 (which has since been reduced to Rs. 60,000) for giving financial assistance to deserving theatre-groups on ad hoc basis and also to meet past commitments under the schemes of 'Assistance to Theatres for Production of New Plays and Study Travel Grants to Theatre Groups' which have since been discontinued. A sum of Rs. 60,000 has also been provided for 1967-68 for this purpose.

21. Shankar's International Children's Competition:

This competition, organised annually at the Capital, is assisted by the Ministry by way of meeting the deficit incurred in arranging the Children's Art Competition, Children's Art Exhibition, On-the-Spot Painting Competition, and publication of Children's Art Number and Album, and prize distribution. The Competition is run by the Children's Book Trust, New Delhi to whom financial assistance is given by the Ministry for the purpose. A provision of Rs. 1,25,000 exists in 1966-67 and an amount of Rs. 1,50,000 has been provided for 1967- 68.

22. Grants to Cultural Organisations:

Cultural institutions/ societies of various kinds are assisted financially under this scheme for their activities. Grants are also sanctioned on ad hoc basis to cultural societies in deserving cases for purpose's not covered by specific schemes of the Ministry or for which no grant is admissible from the national akademis. A provision of Rs. 8,46,000 exists for the purpose in the revised estimates for 1966-67 out of which the following institutions were given grants as shown against each:

Name of Cultural Institution and Organisation

                                                               Rs.
        
        1 Mahabodhi Society of India                           750 
        
        2. Laddakh Buddha Vihara, Bela Road, Delhi             5,610

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        3.   Darual Mussannefin Shibli Academy,
             Azamgarh                                          15,000
        
        4.   Akhil Bharata Sankara Seva Samity, Erode
             (Madras)                                           6,000
        
        5.   Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture,
             Calcutta                                          95,000
        6.   Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore      5,000
        7.   Netaji Research Bureau, Calcutta                  8,000
        
        8.   National Committee for Gandhi Centenary
             Rajghat, New Delhi                              5,00,000

23. Grants are also given to various cultural organisations in the country towards meeting their expenditure on the construction of buildings. A provision of Rs. 2,00,000 exists for the purpose under the scheme during the current financial year.

24. Financial Assistance to Eminent Writers, Artists Etc. in Indigent Circumstances :

This scheme was originally introduced during 1952-53 and was revised in April, 1961. All grants under the scheme are given on sharing basis--State and Central Governments bearing the expenditure in the ratio of 1:2. Expenditure on grantees from Union Territories is borne entirely by the Centre. During the year, about 240 fresh grants were awarded to writers, artists, etc., on the recommendation of the State Governments.

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D. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

 
        
                                                    
                                                Provision for 1966-67       Budget
        No.            Scheme                                                Estimates
                                                Original       Revised       1967-68
        
                                                    
        
        1    Lalit Kala Akademi                      5,10,000       4,48,200   10,50,000
        
        2    Sahitya Akademi(PLAN)                   1,20,000       1,20,000   1,20,000
                       (NON-PLAN)                    5,00,000       5,00,000    6,50,000
                                                                                                 
        3    Sangeet Natak Akademi (PLAN)            75,000          75,000      5,08,000
                                                                                  (Including
                                                                                   Foreign
                                                                                   Exchange
                                                                                   1,47,000)
                  (NON-PLAN)                         10,00,000      10,00,000     15,57,000
        
        4    Cultural Exchanges:
        (a)  Inter-State Exchange of 
             Cultural Troupes                        1,90,000       1,90,000     1,75,000
         
        (b)  Cultural Troupes to Forward Areas
        
        5    Building grants to  cultural 
             organisations (PLAN)                    2,00,000       2,00,000   2,00,000
        
        6    Assistance to Theatres etc.             1,00,000        60,000     60,000
        
        7    Grants to Shankar's International
             Children's Competition.                 1,25,000     1,25,000        1,50,000
        8    Grants to Cultural institutions main-
             tained by State Governments
                  (PLAN)                              25,000       25,000        Nil
        
         
        9    Encouragement to Professional Thea-
             tres                                    20,000    20,000         10,000
        10   Grants to Cultural Societies            5,00,000  5,00,000       50,000
        11   T.A/D.A to Theatre Experts.             4,000     3,500           4,000

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