APPENDIX A (j) REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIVISION DURING 1956-57
With the growing importance of India in the international field, the number of countries desiring to establish and foster closer cultural relations with our country is ever on the increase. In view of this, the Government of India have been making provision in their budget for an increased amount every year.
As will be clear from the figures given below, there has been a remarkable progress in the domain of culture during the past three years. As against a total budget provision of Rs. 80,000 for cultural activities with foreign countries in 1951-52, the increasing -requirements in this respect made Government to provide Rs. 10 lakhs in 1954-55, Rs. 14 lakhs in 1955-56, and Rs.25 lakhs in 1956-57. This increase in the activities led in 1956-57 to the creation of a separate External Relations Division in this Ministry to deal exclusively with cultural activities in relation to other parts of the world and with in coming and outgoing delegations, etc.
The External Relations Division is engaged in multifarious activities, the won important of them being, sending/inviting cultural delegations to/from foreign countries, holding of Indian art exhibitions abroad and foreign art exhibitions in India, participation in international conferences and congresses, presentation of books and library sets to foreign institutions, exchange of scholars, teachers, professors etc. with foreign countries, exchange of official publications with foreign countries, recruitment of Indian teachers for service abroad on requests from foreign countries, concluding Cultural Agreements and Treaties of Friendship with foreign countries, giving grants to foreign cultural organisations abroad, Indian Council of Cultural Relations and its activities, Delhi International Students' House, establishment of departments of Indian/Hindi studies abroad, activities under the 'United States Educational Foundation in India regarding exchange of scholars, acquisition of Indian art objects from abroad, Indian Students' Union and hostels in London, training of teachers in India from abroad, exchange of cultural material and Pen-Friends etc. The Statement XVII will give an idea about the activities carried out in the External Relations Division during 1956-57.
252
STATEMENT XVII
Activities on External Cultural Relations in 1956-57 1. Visit of an Indian cultural delegation to some of the South East As an countries
2. Visit of an Indian cultural delegation to U.S.S.R.and some of the East European countries
3. Visit of a Soviet Circus to India
4. Visit of Czechoslovak cultural delegation to India
5. Visit of a Chinese. ladies' delegation to India
6. Visit of a delegation of young Nepalese political leaders to India
7. Visit of Indian sports teams to Afghanistan to participate in Afghan Jashan celebrations
8. Visit of an Afghan Hockey team to India
9. Visit of two delegations of Nepalese writers to India
10. Organising an Exhibition on "Public Education in the USSR' in India
11. Tour to India by three student-teacher delegations from Nepal (2) and Sikkim (1)
12. Extension to the Indian Art Exhibition for visiting USSR and Poland which was originally scheduled for East Europe
13. Organising other minor exhibitions in India and participating in similar exhibitions abroad
14. Visit of distinguished visitors from abroad, viz., Prof Werthiem, Mr. and Mrs. Alfro Siquerious, and Prof. Ervin Baktay
15. Presentation of books to various countries abroad
16. Visit of musicians and a ballet troupe to Nepal to participate in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations
17. Sending of Indian delegate to the New York- Herald Tribune Forum-March, 1957
18. Sending an Indian educationists' delegation to USSR
19. Sending Indian writers to China
20. Sending Indian poets to Nepal to participate in the Republic Day celebrations organised by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu
21. Participation in the Pakistan Philosophical Congress at Dacca
22. Sending a group of six writers to Kagmari, Dacca, to participate in the Pakistan Cultural Conference
23. Sending a dance troupe of Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai to Japan
24. Sending dance troupe led by Shrimati Kamla Laxman to China
25. Sending Dr. Yusuf Husain of Osmania University to Australia on a lecture tour
26. Sending Smt. Kamla Devi Chattopadhyay to West Asia on a lecture, tour
27. Recruitment of translators for USSR to translate Soviet literature into Hindi, Urdu and Bengali
28. Grants to cultural and educational organisations in foreign countries
253
29. Ad hoc grant for the establishment of a library-cum-research institute in Tibetology at Gangtok
30. Establishment of libraries abroad
31. Providing study facilities to a monk from laos
32. Recruitment of Indian teachers for service in Gold Coast, Nepal, San Francisco, Mauritius, Afghanistan etc.
33. Participation in the International Painting Contest for Children and Young people held in Munich, Germany
34. Refund of customs duty etc. for the United States Educational Foundation in India under the Fulbright Agreement
35. Holding Unesco Travelling Exhibition of Reproductions of Chinese Art in India
36. Cultural Agreements with Japan, Poland and Iran
37. Grant to the Indian Commissioner's Endowment Scholarship Fund in Trinidad, British West Indies
38. Grant to Queensland University, Brisbane, for teaching of Hindi
39. Establishment of Essay Prize Contest for Australian school children
40. Grant of scholarships to Sikkimese and Bhutanese students for study in India
Activities undertaken so far during 1957-58 1. Sending an Indian hockey (Madras University) team to Afghanistan to participate in the Afghan Jashan celebrations
2. Participation in the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Technical University at Prague
3. Participation in the 24th International Congress of Orientalists held in Munich from 28th August, 1957 to 4th September, 1957 4. Participation in the 250th Buddha Jayanti Celebrations abroad (in Thailand and Cambodia)
5. Recruitment of a highly skilled lecturer in Hindi for the Moscow Instie tute of International Relations, U.S.S.R.
6. Recruitment for the post of an assistant professor of Hindi, Bengali and Indian literature, for the Leningrad State University, U.S.S.R.
7. Recruitment for the post of an assistant professor for Hindi and Bengali in the U.S.S.R. Educational Establishment
8. Recruitment for the post of a Tamil/Telugu professor for one of the Soviet Educational Institutions
9. Recruitment for the post of a highly skilled lecturer in Urdu for the Moscow Institute of International Relations, U.S.S.R.
10. Grant of Rs. 4,000 to Shanti Sadan, London on account of subsidising the English translation of Valmiki Ramayana
11. Grant of Rs.5,000 to the Indo-German Cultural Society, Bombay
12. Grant of Rs. 10,000 to the Indo-Egyptian Cultural Association, Cairo
13. Grant of Rs. 5,000 to the Indo-Turkish Cultural Association, Istanbul
14. Grant of Rs. 10,000 to the Indo-Nepalese Friendship Society, Kathmandu
254
15. Grant of Rs. 272. 10 nP. to the Indian Students Association, Paris
16. Grant of 16 scholarships to the trainees from British East Africa for study in India under Cottage Industries schemes
17. Grant of 23 scholarships to the Bhutanese students for study in India.
18. Grant of 22 scholarships to the Sikkimese students for study in India
19. Grant of a scholarship to a monk from Laos for study at the Nalanda Mahavihara
20. Presentation of 30 radio sets to Bhutan
21. Conclusion of a Cultural Agreement between India and Rumania
22. Ratification of the Indo-Japan Cultural Agreement
23. Finalising arrangements for the exchange of publications between Indian and foreign countries, viz., Japan (Midwest Inter Library), U.S.A. etc.
24. Grant of permission to the Hungarian professors for translating the Government of India publication "1857" into Hungarian.
25. Recruitment of teachers for Nepal, Ethiopia and Afghanistan and principals for British West Indies
26. For presentation of a life-size statue of Mahatma, Gandhi to the city of Rio de Janeiro, two miniature size model statues have been obtained for approval, a, few other models are yet to come.
27. Visit of Nepalese students' delegation
28. Participation in Islamic Cultural Exhibition sponsored by Zahira College, Colombo
29. Participation in Second Yugoslav Book Fair, Yugoslavia.
30. Offer of ad hoc scholarships made by the Governments of Norway, Italy, Switzerland, East. Germany, Yugoslavia, France, U.S.S.R., Rumania, Thailand, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, City of Hamburg, Hamburg University, Japan and Belgium
31. Scholarships to African students already studying in India and desiring to learn Hindi
32. Sending musicians and dancers to Nepal to participate in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations organised by Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
255