PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATION OF CULTURE
Centre for Cultural Resources and The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, an autonomous body,
Training is fully financed by the Government of India. The Centre's main objective
is to help revitalise the educational system by creating an understanding
(i) Promotion and Dissemination and awareness among students about the plurality of regional cultures of
India and integrating this knowledge with the curriculum subjects. To
fulfil its objectives, the Centre organises a number of training programmes
for the benefit of inservice teachers drawn from primary/high/higher
secondary schools from different parts of the country.
During the year 1983-84, the following training programmes were
organised :
1. Orientation Course on the Appreciation of the Arts.
2. Refresher Course for trained teachers.
3. Workshops and Seminars on different facets of Indian Culture.
4. Course on Puppetry for Education.
During the period under report, the Centre organised six Orientation
Courses/Refresher Courses, and several Workshops of the duration of 2-5
weeks at New Delhi and Udaipur. These training programmes are design-
ed to create an awareness of the fundamental principles underlying develop-
ment of Indian Culture in the fields of Architecture, Sculpture, Paintings.
Literature, Dance, Music, Theatre, Folk Arts, Handicrafts etc. The train-
ing programmes consist of lectures and lecture-demonstrations, practical
training in these art forms, seminars and discussions etc. In addition 4
courses on Puppetry for Education were also organised at New Delhi.
In order to fully realise the objectives of the training given to the
teachers and to foster an understanding and appreciation of Culture among
school children, audio-visual material is provided to the institutions from
which the teacher has been trained in the Orientation Course. During
1983-84, 300 sets of audio-visual material were expected to be produced
for distribution to the institutions.
The Centre also organised a Seminar on the Role of Administrators
in the implementation of the CCRT activities. In addition 4 Seminars for
the Principals/Headmasters have been organised during the period under
report.
The Centre continued the publication of its quarterly journal entitled
'Newsletter' which provides a platform for dialogue amongst trained teachers
working in different regions to exchange views on Education and Culture.
Field trips to rural and tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu were organised with a view to collecting audio-visual resources.
The films, on 'Kinnaur Ka Lok', 'The Woman Painters of Madhubani'
and the 'Tales of the Fisherwomen' were being completed during this
period.
Building Grants to Voluntary The object of the scheme is to give grants to voluntary cultural organisa-
Cultural Organisations tions for construction of buildings and purchase of equipment. The scheme
covers organisations (other than religious institutions, public libraries.
museums, municipalities, schools, universities of institutions fully financed
by the Central/State Governments) primarily working in the cultural fields
of dance, drama, music, fine arts, indology and literature.
During the year 1983-84, applications under the scheme were invited
from the cultural institutions through State Governments for giving grants
for construction and purchase of equipment. Building grants have been
sanctioned to 14 new organisations under the scheme.
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Financial Assistance to Dance, Under this head, two schemes of financial assistance are presently in
Drama and Theatre Ensembles operation. The first scheme provides for financial assistance to well estab-
lished institutions doing good work in the field of performing arts, to help
them become national or regional resource' centres in their respective fields.
Twenty one institutions are in receipt of financial assistance under this sch-
eme during 1983-84.
The obectives of the second scheme are to provide financial assistance
to professional groups and individuals for specified performing arts, projects,
dramatic groups, theatre groups, music ensembles, orchestration units, child-
rens' theatres, puppet theatres, socio-artists and all genres of performing
arts activities are considered. About 60 groups and individuals are in
receipt of financial assistance on a non-recurring ad-hoc basis under this
scheme during 1983-84, and assistance is likely to be given to a few more
cases.
Festival of India The Government of India has decided to organise a Festival of India
(Exhibitions) in the United States of America and France during 1985-86. The Prime
Minister of India has set up a high level Advisory Committee in India
under the Chairmanship of Smt. Pupul Jayakar, to coordinate the various
programmes to be presented during the Festival. Similar committees have
also been set up in the U.S.A. and France. The Festival of India will offer
a most comphrehensive projection of the various facets of social and cultural
life in India from ancient time to the present day. The celebrations would
consist of a series of exhibitions and programmes of music, dance, dramas,
and film shows as well as seminars, symposia. workshops and lectures to
discuss various aspects of Indian literature, arts and social sciences. The
Festival will seek to depict the variety, character and quality of modern
India by presenting the continuity of her traditional skills in folk and clas-
sical arts simultaneously with her technological achievements, contem-
porary films, books, graphics and photography. The Festival will com-
mence in the spring of 1985 and will continue till 1986 and will be one
of the biggest events ever-mounted to promote goodwill and understanding
between India and the two countries.
Development of Cultural Organisa- Government of India has recently started a scheme entitled "Financial
tions Assistance to Institutions/Organisations/Societies engaged in cultural activi-
ties". Under this scheme a grant of Rs. 20,000/- or 50% of the total
expenditure, whichever is less. is provided to the organisations which are
engaged in cultural activities. The grant is given to the registered voluntary
organisations with the recommendation of State Government for the follow-
ing purposes (a) Holding of Conferences, Seminars and Symposia on im-
portant cultural matters (b) to meet expenditure on activities of develop-
mental nature like conduct of surveys, pilot projects etc.
The organisations which will qualify for the grant will be recommended
by an Expert Committee of the Department. The Scheme was advertised
and applications received are being processed.
Grants to Cultural Organisations Financial assistance is being given to institutions of all India character
which are engaged in the development of cultural activities to meet part of
their expenditure on maintnance and development activities. The institu-
tions covered include PEN All India Centre- Bombay- Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture, Calcutta; Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Institute of His-
torical Studies, Calcutta; Numismatic Society. Varanasi; Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan, Bombay and Institute of Traditional Culture, Madras.
Scheme of Award of Cultural Talent Under Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme. 100 Talented Child-
Search Scholarships ren in the age group 10-14 from different States and Union Territories are
selected each year for the award of scholarships in different cultural fields.
(ii) Schemes for The scholarships are awarded for one year at a time and are renewable
Training and Research on a year to year basis up to the completion of First Degree of University
stage of education or 20 years of age whichever is earlier, provided the
progress of the recipients remains satisfactory.
For the two years viz, 1980 and 1981,200 scholarships were to be
awarded. The Scheme has been transferred to Centre, for Cultural Re-
sources and Training with effect from the year 1982 for further implementa-
tion.
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Scholarships to young workers The objective of the scheme is to give financial assistance to young
in different fields artists of outstanding promise for advanced training within India in the
field of music, drama, dance, painting, sculpture etc. The scholarships
are given to candidates in the age group of 18-28 years. The number of
scholarships is 75 per annum. The value of each scholarship is Rs. 350
per month. From 1st April 1984, the value of stipend will be Rs. 400
per month.
The number of scholarships awarded under the scheme during the year
1983-84 is 75, and it is proposed to award 75 scholarships during 1984-85
also.
Award of Fellowships to Scheme of award of fellowships to outstanding artists in the fields of
outstanding artists in the field the performing literary and plastic arts provides basic financial support
of the performing, literary and either for very advanced training or individual creative effort or for out-
the plastic arts standing men of the performing, literary and plastic arts. The scheme
provides for 50 fellowships every year tenable for two years, out of which
15 (fifteen) are Senior fellowship of the value, of Rs. 1,000 per month
each and 35 (thirty five) Junior fellowships of the value of Rs. 500 per
month each.
The number of fellowships awarded under the scheme during 1983-84
is 50.
Scheme of Financal Assistance Financial assistance is given to persons distiguished in letters, arts and
to persons distinguished in Letters, such other walk of life who may be in indigent curcumstances. Cases under
Arts and such other walks of life the scheme are considered on recommendations of the concerned State
who may be in indigent circumstances Governments and expenditure is shared between the Central and the State
Governments in the ratio of 2 : 1 respectively. In some exceptional cases
100% expenditure is met by the Central Government. According to the
scheme, persons who are not less than 58 years of age and whose monthly
income does not exceed Rs. 600 per month can be given a monthly financial
assistance up to Rs. 400 per month.
During 1982-83, 226 persons were given financial assistance and the
process of selection for 1983-84 is underway.
Emeritus fellowships to most The Scheme of Emeritus Fellowships has been formulated so that the
eminent artists in the fields of artists who have achieved a high degree of excellence in their respective
performing, literary and plastic fields but have since retired from the profession can be given financial support
arts to enable them to continue experimentation in a spirit of financial freedom.
Ten fellowships will be awarded every year commencing with 1983-84. The
value of each fellowship will be Rs. 2,000 per month which will he tenable
for two years extendable by two more years. The selection of the fellows
for the award of fellowships under the scheme will be made from amongst
the persons who will be recommended by the State/Union Territory Gov-
ernments and Central Academies, by a high powered Central Selection Com-
mittee under the Chairmanship of Education Minister.
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