CULTURAL RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN
 COUNTRIES

A cultural activities programme designed to promote mutual understanding and goodwill and to foster closer relations with foreign countries is drawn up each year in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Missions abroad. The scope of this programme is very wide and, among other activities, it includes exchange of delegations, exhibitions, publications, etc. participation in international congresses and conferences, bilateral cultural agreements, deputation of teachers for service abroad etc. At a non- governmental level, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, an autonomous organisation, entrily financed by the Ministry, implements a significant part of these activities.

A. ACTIVITIES OF THE MINISTRY

2. Cultural Agreements/Cultural Exchange Programmes:

India continued to negotiate cultural agreements and cultural exchange programmes with many countries of the world. Some could be finalized and signed during the year ; others are under negotiation. The following cultural agreements/cultural exchange programmes were signed during the year:

(a) A Cultural, Scientific and Technical Corporation Agree- ment was signed between the' Governments of India and France at Paris on 7th June, 1966.

(b) An Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Programme for the year 1966-67 was signed at New Delhi on 12th May, 1966.

(c) An Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 1966-68 was signed at Warsaw on 13th June, 1966.

(d) An Indo-Czechoslovak Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 1966-68 was signed at New Delhi on 14th December, 1966.

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These exchange programmes cover a wide range of activities in science, technology, education, culture, information, broadcasting, health and agriculture.

3. Cultural Delegations :

In order to promote and strengthen cultural relations with foreign countries, a number of cultural delegations from India, consisting of distinguished artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and specialists in various fields, visited foreign countries. These are as follows:-

(i) East European Countries: Shri Vijay Raghava Rao (with two accompanists) visited the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria in April, 1966. He gave performances, held discussions and gave talks on Indian music.

Smt. Nirmala Ramachandran of Madras visited German Democratic Republic, Poland and the USSR, where she gave Bharatanatyam performances.

Dr. H. R. Bachhan and Shri M. Govindan, Editor, 'Sameeksha' visited German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the USSR and also Mongolia under the cultural exchange programme with these countries.

(ii) Greece: At the invitation of the Royal Greek Embassy, Prof. S. H. Vatsyayan, an eminent writer, visited Greece. He also visited Rumania, Yugoslavia, the USSR and Mongolia in May-June, 1966, at the invitations of these governments.

(iii) UK: Facilities were extended to Shanker Presentations Ltd., UK in connection with their project of dance/music recitals by Indian artists for raising funds for the Nehru Memorial Trust, UK.

(iv) USSR: Shri Appunni Kartha, Principal Choreographer, Little Ballet Troupe, visited Soviet Union for three months from April, 1966. He studied ballet management, stage settings etc.

Shri R. K. Nehru, Vice-Chancellor, Allahabad University, visited the USSR in May, 1966.

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Smt. Indrani Rehman, Nayana Jhaveri and Uma Sharma visited the USSR under the Indo-Soviet Cultural Exchange Programme for 1966-67.

Pandit Ravi Shankar visited Yugoslavia, Hungary, and USSR under the Cultural Exchange Programme with, these countries.

4. Travel Subsidies:

The Ministry of Education continued to give travel subsidies to eminent artists, educationists, etc., either for cultural tours to foreign countries or for, their participation in international conferences. Some of the Indian, nationals who were given these subsidies were:

(i) Shri P. C. Sorcar, Magician and his party visited Burma in November, 1966 where they gave performances.

(ii) Swami Ranganathananda of the Ramakrishna Mission visited Ceylon on a lecture tour during November, 1966.

(iii) Shri Mulk Raj Anand, Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi, participated in the International Conference of Art Critics at, Prague, Czechoslovakia, in Agust, 1966.

(iv) Six Government delegates participated in the Seminar of Tamil Studies, held at Kuala Lumpur, Malasiya, in April, 1966.

(v) Khwaja Mohd. Abdul Hay, Professor, Dayal Singh College, Delhi, visited Iran on a lecture tour in September, 1966.

(vi) Shri Mansukh Lal Jhaveri participated in the XXXIV International PEN Conference held in New York, USA, in June, 1966.

(vii) Dr. Indra Deva, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, participated in the First Asian Folkore Conference held at Bloomington, Indiana University, USA, during June, 1966.

(viii) Smt. Sharan Rani, the Sarod artist, accompanied by a Tabla player went on a concert tour of the UK and Europe from 6th December, 1966.

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5. Cultural Delegations/Art Exhibitions from Abroad:

The following delegations visited India during the year under report:-

(i) Canada: Under the Cultural Activities Programme, 1966- 67 of this Ministry, Mrs. Betty Nickerson arrived in India for a three-week tour of this country.

(ii) France: (a) A group of 11 French students came on a study tour of India during August-September, 1966.

(b) Under the Cultural Activities Programme of this Ministry for the year 1966-67, Dr. and Mrs. Barthelemy visited India during January-February, 1967 on a lecture tour of the country.

(iii) Greece: Prof. and Mrs. S. Marinatos visited India in September 1966 for 4 days. He delivered lectures at the School of Archaeology and National Museum, New Delhi.

(iv) Germany: Under the Indo-GDR Cultural Exchange Plan, 1966-67, Mr. Willi Meinck, a writer from GDR arrived in India in January, 1967 on an eightweek visit to this country.

(v) Hungary: Under the Cultural Exchange Plan, 1965-67, Mr. Miklos Hubay, theatre expert and playwright from Hungary, after participation in the East-West Theatre Arts Festival, visited places in India connected with drama, dance and music and film studies. He was the guest of the Government of India from 31st October, to 5th November, 1966.

(vi) Laos: Mr. Khantong Thammavog, Director of Fine Arts, Ministry of Education, Royal Government of Laos, participated in the East-West Theatre Arts Festival. After the Festival, he was the guest of the Government of India for a few days.

(vii) Mongolia: Under the Indo-Mongolian Cultural Exchange Plan 1966-67, Mr. S. Erdene, a writer arrived in India in December, 1966 for a three-week stay.

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(viii) Netherlands: Under the Cultural Activities Pro- gramme of this Ministry for'1966-67, Mr. A. H.N. Vervay, an indologist, came to India for a four-week tour of this country. During his stay, he visited places of Buddhist, Jain, Hindu and Islamic culture and monuments.

(ix) Poland: (a) Under the Cultural Exchange Plan, Mr. Jerzy Putrament, Vice-President of Union of the Polish Writers along with his wife, visited important places in India in November, December, 1966.

(b) Under the Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange Plan 1965-66, Dr. Wolski from Poland arrived in India on 15th February, 1967, for a 6-month tour.

(x) Rumania: Under the Cultural Exchange Plan between India and Rumania, 1965-67, Mr. Petre Bodeut, choreographer, came to India for about three months. He conducted a Choreography Workshop in Delhi, organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi from 20th May to 2nd June 1966. He demonstrated to the Indian choreographers the principles of editing movement and of training young dancers for large ensemble dancing.

(xi) UK: Under the Cultural Activities Programme of this Ministry, 1966-67, Mr. Michael Peto, an eminent photographer from the UK came on a month's tour of this country. He is covering the elections for 'The Times' and 'Observer' newspapers and is also. shooting a picture on family planning in India.

(xii) USSR: (a) A 4-member delegation headed by E. Mr. S. K. Romanovsky, Chairman, of the Soviet State Committee for Cultural Relations with foreign countries, visited India in connection with the finalisation and signing of the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Plan for the year 1966-67.

(b) Under the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Man, 1966-67, Dr. Y. P. Nasenko, a Senior 'Scientific Worker, arrived in India on 14th February, 1967 on a 6month stay in the country. He is collecting and

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compiling material On the cultural and scientific relations between India and the USSR from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

(c) Under the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Plan, 1966-67, a 59-member 'Bakhor' Ensemble, Uzbek People's State Dance Ensemble arrived in India in December, 1966 and gave performances at Delhi, Madras, Hyderabad, Bombay, Chandigarh and Jaipur.

(d) Under the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Programme, 1966- 67, Prof. V. V. Balabushevich of the Academy of Sciences (USSR) stayed in India for 64 days during December, 1966- February, 1967.

(e) Under the, Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Plan, 1966-67, Mr. K. G. Maximov, an expert in the field of architecture visited India for a period of four weeks.

(f) Mr. S. M. Mshvelidze and Dr. H. L. Lazarev, Soviet composers, visited this country for a period of two weeks under the Indo-USSR Cultural Exchange Programme 1966-67.

(xiii) Yugoslavia: (a) Under the Indo-Yugoslavia Cultural Exchange Plan, 1965-67, a 7-member Yugoslav troupe came to India in November, 1966 and gave a number of performances at Delhi and Bombay.

(b) Under the Indo-Yugoslav Cultural Exchange Plan, 1965-67 , Miss. Grozdana Olujee, a writer visited various Places in India in December, 1966-January, 1967.

(xiv) East-West Theatre Arts Seminar and Festival: The East- West Theatre Arts Seminar and Festival was organised in New Delhi from 24th to 30th October, 1966 by the Bharatiya Natya Sangh in collaboration with the Indian National Commission for Unesco and this Ministry. The Government invited the following four troupes for participation in the festival:-

(a) The Nomura Kyogen Dancers of Japan

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(b) The Marionette Theatre Group of Australia "The Tintookes"

(c) The 21-member Bratislava Pantomime Group of Czechoslovakia

(d) The 45-member Jogjakarta Ramayana Ballet from Indonesia led by H. E. Prince Paku Alam VIII Governor of Jogjakarta

All the four troupes, besides giving performances at Delhi, went to different cities of India for giving performances there.

6. Cultural Delegations Expected to Visit India:

Under the Cultural Activities Programme, of this Ministry for the year 1966-67, the Cultural Delegations which are likely to visit India are:

(a) 3-Member team from Uganda consisting of educationists/academicians for a two-week tour of the country.

(b) 2 Kenya Mayors for a 3-week stay in India.

(c) 3-member delegation from Tanzania consisting of Chief Speaker/Minister is likely to visit India for a period of three weeks.

7. Exhibitions Sent Abroad:

A brief account of the various exhibitions sent abroad is given in the following paragraphs:

Czechoslovakia: An exhibition of paintings of S/Shri M. F. Hussain and Ram Kumar was organised in Prague, by the Czechoslovakia Union of Artists from 20th January, 1967.

GDR: Shri Ram Kumar, the well-known painter, visited German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia with his paintings for holding exhibitions under the Cultural Activities Programme. He held an exhibition in Czechoslovakia in October, 1966.

Europe: An exhibition of India Miniature Paintings on tour in Europe in 1965. was held in Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Prance, and Italy.

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Exhibitions Proposed to be Sent Abroad:

(i) An exhibition of contemporary art for participation in the Indian Pavilion of Expo 1967 in Montreal, Canada.

(ii) An exhibition of the, paintings of Shri M.F. Hussain in Poland. A few paintings of Shri Ram Kumar also may be on display.

(iii) An exhibition on the Theatre of India.

8. Art Exhibitions from Abroad:

Under the Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange Plan, 1964-66 the Polish Exhibition on, Theatre Art visited India during March to June, 1966. The exhibition was inaugurated in Delhi on 28th March, 1966 by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Ramachandram.

9. Under the Indo-Mongolian Cultural Exchange Plan, 1966-67, an Exhibition of 74 photographs on the life and people of Mongolia was inaugurated in New Delhi on 12th July, 1966 by the Deputy Minister for Education on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of the Mongolian People's Revolution.

10. Under the Indo-Polish Cultural Exchange Plan, 1966-67 an Exhibition of Polish Graphic Arts and Posters was inaugurated in Delhi on the 2nd January, 1967 by the Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.

11. Exhibitions Expected from Abroad:

Under the Cultural Activities Programme of this Ministry for the year, 1966-67, the Exhibitions which are expected to visit India are:

(i) Art Exhibition from Hungary is already on a visit to, India for a period of 2 months.

(ii) Art Exhibition from Rumania is likely to be displayed in some, places in India between March-May, 1967.

12. Presentation of Art Objects:

As in the past, the programme of presentation of Indian art and other objects, abroad has been continued during the year. The articles included paintings, books, manuscripts, sculpture, plaster casts, handicrafts, wood carvings, musical instruments, dolls etc. Special mention may be made of the presentation of sculptures

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and paintings to the Hermitage Leningrad, and a bronze statue of Sarnath Buddha to the Buddhist temple in Kuala Lumpur. Other important beneficiary organisations abroad included the National Museum, Argentina; Indo-Soviet Friendship Society, Moscow, National Museum, British Guiana; United Nations International School, New York, Deutsches Museum, Bonn; International Institute for Comparative Music Studies Berlin; Oriental Museum of Art, Budapest; Museum of History of Music, Norway; Royal Commonwealth Society, Sydney; and the National Akademi of Music and Dramatic Art, Saigon.

13. Grants-in-aid for External Cultural Relations:

Financial assistance in the form of ad hoc grants was given to various cultural organisations etc. These were given, among others, to (i) Indo-Nepal Friendship Association, Nepal; (ii) Financial Assistance to Nepalese Writers; (iii) Royal Asiatic Society, London; (iv) Aid to Nepalese Students; and (v) Ramakrishna Vedanta Society; London.

14. India Office Library:

The question of the disposal of the India Office Library is under negotiations between the Governments of India, Pakistan and the UK. It has since been decided that the question should be referred to a tribunal. The tribunal was to consist of three members of the judicial committee of the Privy Council. The question relating to the selection of the members of the tribunal, its terms of reference and the law to be applied by it then arose. The first two questions have been more or less settled. Negotiations regarding the settlement of the question of law to be applied by the prospective tribunal of three members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council are,in progress.

15. India House, Paris:

An International Hostel-India House- is under construction at the Cite Universitaire, Paris. The hostel, when completed will provide accommodation for 100 students/scholars most of which will be utilised by the Indian student community in Paris.

16. Fellowships and Scholarships:

Cultural fellowships and scholarships awarded during the year under review include:

(i) Fellowships of the value of Rs. 300 per month per head to nine learned Tibetan refugee Lamas;

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(ii) Scholarships of the value of Rs. 100 per month per head to tea undergraduate Tibetan refugee Lamas;

(iii) Scholarships of the, value of Rs. 150 per month per head to six Ladakhi students; and

(iv) Scholarships at Rs. 150 per month per head to six Buddhist monks from South Vietnam.