FINE ARTS
In the field of cultural activities including fine arts the Union Government since independence have not only developed the institutions of national importance that were already in existence, but also set up a few new institutions to help conserve and develop the country's valuable cultural heritage as well as to promote cultural unity and emotional integration of the country. Housed in Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi, the three National Akademies which were set up through Government Resolutions have become autonomous bodies carrying on extensive programmes in the arts. A Committee appointed in 1964 reviewed the working of the Akademies. Its report is being examined and some of the major recommendations, have been accepted. To further develop the activities of the Akademies some important new projects are likely to be undertaken during the fourth Five Year Plan and it is proposed to allocate a sum of Rs. 88 lakh for the purpose, to the Akademies in addition to their normal budgets.
A. LALIT KALA AKADEMI 2. Lalit Kala Akademi was set up to foster and coordinate activities in the sphere of visual and plastic arts and to promote thereby the cultural unity of the country. Inaugurated in August, 1954, the Akademi is now registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
2.1. It functions as an autonomous organisation, though entirely financed by the Union Government. The President has appointed Dr. Mulk Raj Anand as Chairman of the Akademi with effect from 1-1-1966 for a term of five years, vice Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung who had completed his term of five years.
2.2. 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 organsations, copying frescoes, and giving awards to artists. The activities of the Akademi during the year which were considerably curtailed owing to the emergency are outlined in the paragraphs which follow
3. Exhibitions 3.1. Exhibitions and Artworks Sent Abroad.-An Exhibition of Con- temporary Indian Art has been sent to Kenya on 4th May 1965. Another major exhibition sent out was to the Commonwealth Art Festival held in London. This exhibition consisted of 87 contemporary works and 28 folk art objects and was shown at the Royal Festival Hall from 15 to 30 September, 1965. This exhibition is likely to be shown in Germany, Belgium and other European countries also. The Akademi has also participated in the
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Paris Biennale and Biennale De Sao Paulo, 1965. Sri Gautam Voghela received an honourable mention at the Biennale. A collection consisting of 43 paintings, 5 graphics and 2 sculptures was sent to Sao Paulo Exhibition. Works of 8 artists were also sent by the Akademi to Selected Non-Abstract Paintings Exhibition to be held in Japan.
3.2. Exhibitions from Abroad.-During the year the Akademi received two major art exhibitions namely, (i) 'Portrait of Mexico' Exhibition from Mexico and (ii) Exhibition of Works of Nine Living British Sculptors. The biggest ever received from abroad, the Mexico exhibition consisted of paintings and sculptures both of the colonial and modem period, besides works of folk art and architectural models of temples etc. The Indian tour of the Exhibition started on June 2, 1965 from Calcutta wherefrom it moved to Madras, then to Delhi and ultimately to Bombay where it concluded in December, 1965. The Exhibition of "Nine Living British Sculptors" was inaugurated in Delhi on 17th November, 1965 and was subsequently shown at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
3.3. National Exhibition of Arts.-By far the most important programme under the Exhibitions is the annual National Exhibition of Art. This year's exhibition which was the 13th one, was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Sri M. C. Chagla on 24th January, 1966. 10 exhibits selected for the Akademi Award.
4. Publications.-During the year 1965-66, under the ancient series of our publications, Lalit Kala No. 11 and Portfolio No. 1 on Bhagvata Purana have already been brought out. Under the contemporary series. Lalit Kala Journal No. 3 and monographs on Dhanraj Bhagat and G. N. Tagore were released. Lalit Kala Contemporary No. 4 and monographs on Amrita Shergil, Binode Behari Mukherjee, Chintamoni Kar, H. K. Ara and a set of picture postcards are expected to be out during the year. A list of publications brought out by the Akademi during the period is given in Annexure V.
5. Camps and Conferences.-A camp for the painters, second of its type, was hold at Bhopal between October 7 and 16, 1965 in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad. A conference of the Chairmen of the State Akademies was held in Hyderabad in February, 1966.
6. Grants-in-aid.-Grants totalling Rs. 55,950 were sanctioned to various art institutions and State Akademies.
7. Presentation of Painting.-On the request of the Commonwealth Institute for the Blind at London, a painting 'Taj Mahal' by Sri S. G. Thakur Singh has been presented by the Akademi.
8. Studio Facilities.-Five studios for use by the artists on hire basis are ready with the Akademi at a de-protected monument "Bistidhari Malcha" located on the Ridge, Now Delhi.
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9. Sale of Artists' Material.-The Akademi imported artists' material for distribution to artists at no profit no loss basis, worth over Rs. 50,000 during the current year.
10. Purchase of Exhibits.-Akademi has purchased works of art to the tune of Rs. 20,000 during the current year.
11. Programmes for the year 1966-67-Programmes for the year 1966-67 are as under :
11.1 Exhibitions.-Besides organising the annual National Exhibition, the programme includes (1) an Exhibition of Sculptures and Architectural Exhibition; (2) an exhibition of Akademi's own art collection within the country; (3) participation in the Venice Biennale and (4) exhibition of contemporary Indian art and miniature paintings in some of the European and African countries on behalf of the Union Ministry of Education, provided necessary funds are available.
11.2 Publications.-The work is in hand for bringing out books on 'Chamba Paintings', 'Short Survey of Indian Paintings', 'Nagarjunakonda', 'Bagh Cave Paintings', and 'Eastern Indian Metal Images'. Under the contemporary series of publications, a number of books have been planned including monographs on Sailoz Mukherjee, Ram Kumar, Gopal Ghose and others.
11.3. Camps and Conferences.-The programme envisages holding of six conferences/seminars including an Artists' Conference.
11.4. Purchase of Exhibits.-Exhibits to the tune of Rs. 27,000 will be purchased during 1966-67.
11.5. Exchange of Artists/Fellows.-Akademi has accepted two exchange programmes i.e., visit of Indian Artists to the U.S.S.R. and Mongolia and the visit of one, artist from the U.A.R. to India.
B. SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI 12. Sangeet Natak Akademi was set up to foster and develop Indian dance, drama and music and to promote through them the cultural unity of the country. Formally inaugurate in January, 1953 it is now registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It is wholly financed by the Union Government. The President appointed Mrs. Indira Gandhi as the new Chairman of the Akademi with effect from 14th December 1965 for a term of five years.
12.1. The main programme of the Akademi consists of coordinating the activities of the State Akademies, promoting research in the fields of dance. drama and music, granting recognition and financial assistance to the institutions working in the fields, bringing out publications and giving awards to artists. The main activities of the Akademi during 1965-66 are described in the paragraphs that follow :
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13. Awards and Fellowships.-The Akademi at a ceremony held on December 24, 1965 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi conferred Fellowships on 5 artists and presented 11 awards--4 in Music for Hindustani Vocal, Hindustani Instrumental, Karnatak Vocal and Karnatak Instrumental; 3 in Dance for Kathakali, Manipuri and Teaching of Classical Dance, 3 in Drama for Acting in regional languages-Malayalam, Sanskrit and Gujarati and 1 in Play writing (Hindi).
14. Cultural Programmes.-A large number of cultural programmes, rich in variety and quality, were presented. These included (1) get- together of experts and teachers of dance, music and drama with Mr. Louis K. Wechsler-Principal of the High School of Music and Art and School of Performing Arts in New York, (2) performance of 'David and Goliath, (an experimental work in traditional Kathakali style) by visiting Kathakali trouple, (3) arrangements for music at Tinmurti House and Shantivana on May 27, 1965-the grst death anniversay of the late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, (4) participation in the Jayanti Celebrations of Kshetrayya, the celebrated Padam Composer of South and Siddhendra, the founder of Kuchipudi Dance.
15. Research on Musical Response.-Research on Musical response has. been completed up to the experimental stage. This is international scheme initiated by Mr. Charles Keil, U.S.A.
16. Dictionary of Technical Terms.-Compilation of technical terms in music in various languages is progressing. Recordings and notations of Dhrupade by Gauripur Music Trust, Calcutta are being received, as also notations of rare compositions from Ustad kadir Bux.
17. Publication of Monographs.-The publication of brief monographs in outstanding musicians of the two schools of Indian music is progressing satisfactorily. The first on late Ustad Mushtaq Hussain by Naina Bipjit Singh was out in 1965. Six other monographs are in manuscript stage and are likely to be published in Akademi's journal.
18. National Songs.-Under a scheme the Akademi is publishing national songs in all 14 Indian languages with English translations anti notation. While in 1964, the first book on Bengali songs was published, those in Telugu, Marathi and Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi were compiled in manuscript form in 1965. For reasons of economy, it has been decided to publish the remaining collections without English translations and as inexpensively as possible. These are now in press.
19. Indian Dance in Classical Literature and the Arts' by Gapila Vatsyayan.-The book is at present in the press and is in the final stages of production.
20. Anthology of 100 Songs of Rabindranath Tagore Vol. II-The companion volume of the second collection of 50 songs of Tagore with notations and English translations is now completes in manuscript form.
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21. "Sangeet Natak" Bulletin.-It has been decided to publish a biennial journal "Sangeet Natak". The journal aims at presenting both the work of scholars and academicians and of those engaged in the arts in the contemporary field. The first issue appeared in November, 1965.
22. Library.-During the year the Akademi Library acquired 214 new books and received 88 books as gifts from different sources. Besides, 242 new disc records were also purchased in addition to 12 disc records received as gifts.
23. Schemes Included in the Fourth Five Year Plan. 23.1. For the purpose of research into the Scientific aspects of music, it is proposed to set up a Laboratory to study musical scales, tonal characteristics of musical instruments, construction of automatic notation recorders and tala instruments, psychological response to music etc. The provision proposed for the first year (1966-67) of the Plan is Rs. 50,000. In view of the Emergency the provision was kept to the minimum but. gradually the project would be expanded as more funds become available.
23.2. Development of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Museum.-The Museum at present occupies a small space in the ground floor of the Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi. Small as it is, it does not befit the museum of the stature of Akademi. A modest provision in view of the national emergency, of Rs. 25,000 has therefore been suggested for its expansion in the first year of the fourth Plan.
24. Budget Estimates for 1966-67.-In view of the extreme need for economy due to emergency, the budget for 1966-67 has been cut down to Rs. 10,00,000.
25. Grants to Institutions.-The total amount of grants sanctioned as assistance to cultural institutions in 1965-66 was Rs. 4,06,000 excluding Rs. 10,000 for Regional and Special Festivals. With effect from the year 1966-67, grants will however be made by the Government of India, Ministry
26. Institutions Run by the Akademi.-Two training institutions are being run by the Akademi- The National School of Drama and Asian Theatre Institute at New Delhi and the Manipur Dance College at Imphal to which an Institute for Kathak Dance has been added (managed by Bharatiya Kala Kendra, New Delhi on behalf of the Akademi on experimental basis for two years).
27. Activities During 1966-67.-Of the projects proposed to be taken up during 1966-67 by the Akademi, the following deserve mention.
27.1. Non-Plan Projects.-Owing to the Emergency there has been drastic curtailment in normal activities of the Akademi. The Akademi, therefore, proposes to concentrate on the projects which had already been undertaken e.g. the completion of the technical unit in the Sangeet Natak, Akademi, compilation of technical terms in dance, drama and music in
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the regional languages, recording of Eminent Musicians, Publication of the Biographies of Musicians and "Who is Who" of Musicians. In addition if funds permit, a meeting of the Chairman of the State Sangeet Natak Akademies is proposed to be sponsored in 1966-67. The Akademi will also continue to finance the National School of Drama and Asian Theatre Institute, New Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (erstwhile Manipur Dance College), Imphal and the kathak Kendra, New Delhi. The companion volume, of the Anthology of Tagore Songs (with notations) Vol. II is also expected to be brought out in 1966-67. The year 1966-67, is also, expected to see the publication of "Indian Dance in Classical Literature and the Arts" by Dr. (Mrs.) Kapila Vatsyayan.
27.2. Plan Projects.-A Research Unit for the study of the Science of Music is proposed to be set up. The Museum of the Akademi is proposed to be reorganised and developed.
C. PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE TO STATE GOVERNMENTS,
ORGANISATIONS/INDIVIDUAL WORKERS 28. Cultural Exchanges.-The main object of the three schemes under this programme is to promote emotional and cultural integration of the country and to provide people in different parts of India with opportunities to get acquainted with one another's culture. The three schemes are :
28.1. Inter-State Exchange of Cultural Troupes.-Under this scheme troupes from-Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Madras, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mysore and Rajasthan-have visited other States up to the end of February 1966. Troupes from West Bengal, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh are also expected to visit other States by the end of March, 1966.
28.2. Cultural Exchange of Outstanding Artists Amongst the Zones of India.-Performances under this scheme are arranged directly by the State Governments and the visits are normally reported to the Government of India if a State Government claims the grant admissible under the scheme to cover the deficit in arranging the performances or when any artist not covered by the scheme is invited to give performances. So far proposals have been received from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madras and Kerala.
28.3. Sponsoring of Cultural Troupes for the Entertainment of the Armed Forces in the Forward Areas.-Owing to the tense situation prevailing on our borders, not many troupes could visit border areas. A troupe from only Gujarat could be sponsored so far. A few proposals from Rajasthan, Madras etc. have been accepted by the army authorities, and the visits are likely to take place before the cud of March, 1966.
29. Grants to Cultural Societies/Organisations.-Grants are sanctioned on an ad hoc basis to Cultural Societies is deserving cases for purposes not covered by the specific schemes or for which no grant is admissible from the National Akademies. From 1966-67 onwards, grant to institutions in the fields of dance, drama, music and fine arts, which have hithertofore
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been assisted by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Lalit Kala Akademi, will be disbursed direct by the Ministry. This decision has been taken in pursuance of the recommendations made by the Reviewing Committee for the National Akademies appointed by the Government of India in March, 1964. A provision of Rs. 5 lakh has been made for 1966-67 and the budgets of the two Akademies have been reduced correspondingly.
30. Building Grants to Cultural Organisations.-In view of the emergency and the ban on new constructions, the Building Grants Scheme has not been extended to the year 1965-66 to cover fresh cases.
31. Promotion of Drama Movement in the Country.-The new scheme which was proposed to be introduced during 1965-66 could not be introduced because of financial stringency. As the old schemes stand discontinued, it has been decided to give financial assistance to deserving theatre groups on ad hoc basis in 1966-67. A provision of Rs. 1,00,000 has been made for the purpose.
32. National Theatre, New Delhi.-The project has been carried over to the fourth Five Year Plan. Subject to availability of funds it may be completed in the fourth Plan period. As reported earlier, the project has the approval of the Cabinet and the architect is preparing revised plans and estimates in the light of Cabinet's directions.
33. Open-Air Theatres in Rural Areas.-State Governments and Union Territory Governments are assisted for the construction of 5 and 2 Open-Air Theatres respectively per year. A provision of Rs. 85,000 exists in the current year's budget for the purpose but considering the need for economy, it has been decided to suspend the scheme during 1966-67.
34. Cultural Working Group.-The fourth meeting of the Cultural Working Group was held on the 3rd September, 1965 and examined the revised proposals with a view to adjusting the allocations within the ceilings of Rs. 17.18 crore for cultural activities, including National Archives. It considered all the schemes and allotted an amount which was required by each scheme for the fourth Plan period.
35. Shankar's International Children's Competition.-This competition organised annually at the capital is assisted by the Ministry by way of meeting the deficit, subject to a maximum of Rs. 1,25,000, 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. Tie competition is run by the Childrens 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 1965-66 and an equal amount has been provided for 1966-67.