Black Hole

Sirf Jism ki maut hi kaafi nahi

Dil ko maut aa jaaye

to bhi dard bada hota hai..

khwahishen na milen

to khalish si rehti hai

yeh jo mil jaayen 

phir kyun khala sa rehta hai!

insan ke andar ka black hole

sab kuch apne me sama to leta hai

magar yeh be-hissi bhi to badha deta hai 

na kisi khushi ki khushi

na koi gham ka aansoo

bas ek raah par

musafir ke paon chalte rehte hain

na musafir ko pata na raste ko

ke rasta manzil tak jayega bhi ya nahi

kya farak padta hai

kaun udaas hota hai

kaun wapasi ki raah takta hai

bas rasta aur musafir hi sathi hain

koi aur hath na sujhai de

na koi apna dikhai de

bas raah ka patthar

jo choom le qadmo ko

ye sath bhi bada bhala rehta hai

magar zehen hai ke

soche jata hai

poochhe jata hai

jaane woh log kahan gaye

jo safar ke sathi the

jinke sath safar khatam karna tha

shayad meri tarah

yeh kambakht

black hole unko bhi kha gaya!

God- Merciful or Wrathful??

Before I start, I have to make an honest confession that I am a believer in the theory of Creationism, and I believe that there is a Higher power above us, u call him God, Allah, Bhagwan that is your business which does not interest me.

I have had many arguments with Atheists who question that if God is there why He/She/It does not help humanity, why are there mass murders, famines, etc. the usual arguments that we are all familiar with. My point is either you believe (then everything becomes a miracle of God's power and He tries you and your faith with tribulations and hardships) or you do not (when everything can be rationally explained or can it?).

God the idea or the entity that we (believers) believe in, is also a mirror of how we project Him in our heads and how this faith also affects and shapes us as individuals.

 I have people in my family who are very religious.

My elders often told me ‘do this or Allah will be angry and He will punish you!’

As I grew up and tried to understand religion on my own, I realized that more than anger it is love, compassion and mercy- attributes or words that are used more often in the Quran to describe Allah. I just could never understand if He loves us and we love Him back, why would we do anything to upset him deliberately. And even if we did something wrong, we could always ask for forgiveness. As He has said in all religious scriptures that we could always go back to Him with a pure heart.  Purity of the heart, kindness, charity, and saving others’ from one’s anger and selfishness are the things that we have heard He likes and are universally accepted by all religions as attributes of a good believer.

The idea of a wrathful God makes Him distant, a merciful God is more near, and more loving. The idea to obey Him because of fear cannot take you very far with your faith in Him, in my opinion. And if God is so loving how can the believers be far behind, why can’t they love each other. If He can be forgiving, why cant we?

Which God can be happy with hurting others physically or verbally (that too in the name of religion)? If God is wrathful, full of revenge and unforgiving, believers would be rigid too. If you want to please God, you cannot upset his creations. I cannot understand that if you are full of displeasure towards His beings, how can you please Him? 

 Our behavior is often a mirror of our personality. A very beautiful woman would not be very attracttive if her behavior is ugly or rude. Only thinking about one’s own self, or being rigid about one’s own wishes can make one not just unpopular in this world but in the Other World too. 

Bible has a beautiful passage on love, which I had the honor to recite in my Christian school in a ceremony in Urdu. But I only very recently understood its deeper meaning -

Corinthians- 13:4-

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

   
   It is not love towards one, but love towards all that it preaches. This love towards all will also lead to the One full of love. 

Guilty!

I was born guilty!!

Recently, there have been some construction work going on in the university where I am presently working as Project Consultant. I was talking to a Professor colleague (his office was recently broken down along with mine to enlarge library space) who remarked that without office, he felt like 'an orphan'. I just felt 'lost', not orphaned! I kept quiet for the next two minutes and ended the conversation. I have recently been  'orphaned'. This got me thinking on the plight of the orphans and I felt guilty for having not done much for them (Or for parents whom I lost, recently, earlier this year my mum, three years back my dad!)

 On Traffic signals (one of my earlier posts) it is this guilt syndrome that makes me buy stuff which I would never use or have any need for - from children, pregnant women and other disadvantaged people.

Religions dwell on the 'guilty' aspect. The thing that separates faithful from a sinner is guilt. Guilt over wrong things that he/she may have committed. Guilt can lead to redemption according to major religious philosophies. If God has given you more than others you should do charity to make for guilty conscience.

Environmentalists play on the fears of doomsday and make us feel guilty of the abuse that first world and our earlier generations have wrecked on the earth for ages. Okay, granted we may have done some damage too. Guilty we are of not doing enough or just sitting idle. 

I feel guilty if I have too much fun (usually an after thought, after having fun of course), or if I feel lazy till the deadline comes on my head!


Finally, I plead guilty to all that I have done (or not done!) and
I have been condemned to life imprisonment for it! 

Global world- A Homogeneous World?

Globalization says wikipedia  is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.^[1][2] In particular, advances in transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, including the rise of the Internet, are major factors in globalization and precipitate further interdependence of economic and cultural activities.^[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization)

It has helped in reducing differences and has made the talk if not the idea of 'one world' possible. It has helped in the growth and movement of liberal ideas like democracy, freedom and has helped in improving the standard of life better.

It is strange to observe the fact that the more globalized we become more similar we get in terms of the way our cities look today- the same big multi national brand of clothing, shoes, food chains, highways/ motorways, etc. The same chains are present everywhere selling almost the same products (with a little tweak here and there to suit local preferences).

The idea of development promoted by globalization is very west-centric and first world oriented. The third world in its efforts to play catch up has had to deal with problems and issues of displacement of its local population for land use by big corporates, pollution (air/ water/ noise/land), slums etc. The rise of urban cities in the third world has not been without these and many more problems for every developing nation. The new cities have pockets of    development- swanky malls, flyovers, housing societies with modern amenities, tall modern office buildings and complexes surrounded by slums and urban villages. A very good example of which is Gurgaon, with big beautiful modern buildings and problems of infrastructure like roads, water, electricity etc. The growing population has not helped at all. The trend of developing cities to ape western models of cities without any consideration of local conditions has created more problems than solved for the administration and the citizens of those cities.

 The big metro cities want to be like New York, Shanghai, etc. but if all cities are going to look like same, and serve similar world food, with same products, the world will surely become a boring place.

Globalization has also meant a certain minimum standard followed in terms of quality of products. A relative of mine visiting from Europe was very happy to see Mark and Spencer stores, Subway chains etc. (unlike six years back in Delhi when she visited last time) , but for shopping for clothes she still preferred Chandni Chowk for its variety and prices. 

Technological revolution fueled by globalization also means that governments of various countries have to be careful not just about their local population but also world opinion which is just a tweet away. The democratic movements in Arab world are a result of people being aware of their rights and fighting for themselves. Pictures of Japanese Tsunami united the whole world in feeling the Japanese pain in the same way, it is condemning Syrian government for its excesses against its population. 

There is still debate on whether the inequalities (between the developed and under-developed world, between rich and poor) have grown or lessened thanks to globalization. Like everything else the answer lies somewhere in between, with both good and bad sides to it. 

Marriages in India

Marriages are a personal (for the people getting married) as well as a social occasion (for all the others invited/related to the people getting married). I have been a part of both, as most of us have been, I believe. .But, it still baffles me to understand why people dance, go over the top with celebrations on other people's marriages! After all, it is a social sanction for two people to start a family for and by themselves! From Hindi Bollywood movies, to TV serials to road jams (due to people dancing on the road), bursting fire crackers, almost everything around us tells us that marriages are important and provide a huge occasion for celebration in Indian sub-continent along with Diwali, Eid etc. Markets around the marriage season are as full and jam packed as they are during Diwali/ Eid.

Let us look at the way marriages are solemnised in different religions. In Hinduism, marriages are a bond of births and re-births (even stronger than the bond with parents, as it cuts across different lifetimes), with seven pheras it becomes a relationship extending upto seven janams or births. One cannot escape one's partner even after death! My South Indian, Tamil neighbor told me marriage rituals extend up to many days amongst Tamil Brahmins. In some customs rituals go on for a night, the shortest ritual is still more than an hour long in Arya Samaji weddings. All these rituals are performed to make marriage strong, breaking the marriage off is an unthinkable sin!

 In Christianity the vows promise marriage to be the relationship of a lifetime, or till death of atleast one partner that automatically dissolves the union (until death do us part!). In both these religions until the early/ mid part of the last century divorce was very rare. Even if marriages went bad, people had no choice to opt out since there was no concept of divorce, as it was considered socially unacceptable. In the present times, divorces in society have become acceptable with the growing numbers of broken marriages. Reasons could be many or one, but the society has matured to let the people involved in the marriage to settle their lives and does not interfere (although still pokes around for gossip!)

In Islam, marriages  are a civil contract with two witnesses. The willing partners have to give their consent (qubool hai!) loud and clear along with their signatures on the contract (nikahnama), which also mentions amount of bride price to be paid. There have been instances of marriages happening on phone on conference call with bride, groom and the priest  on each line with speaker phones in Pakistan, Gulf, Hyderabad etc. Since, physical presence of the two individuals not necessary/ compulsory, long distance marriages were possible. Papers would be sent through post and consent taken verbally through phone!
Similarly, if the contract does not work out partners can opt out, again in the presence of witnesses with saying divorce loud and clear (talaq). Some people have even tried to give divorce on phone, although there have been issues with the legality of it. Both marriage and divorce have pre-conditions like, both partners should be in their senses (not drunk or angry) while performing the said acts. Although the idea  and the thought behind  Islamic marriages was revolutionary for its time. For the first time a girl was given the right to give her consent for the marriage. Her say was important and she deserved compensation in the form of bride price for the changes that it brought in her life (change of household, etc). While, divorce could be given by man by just uttering the word thrice, woman could also ask for it (khula) if marriage was not working for her and whoever opts out has to give/ give up bride price along with other financial complications (dowry/ marriage gifts etc). But, women’s position became vulnerable to husband’s mood swings, roving eye, etc.  The ease of divorce also meant its abuse, which led many Islamic countries to make stringent laws for the protection of women. In India, divorce amongst Muslims became a national debate during 1980s due to the Shah Bano case. There was an argument to implement a Uniform Civil Code to make laws equal for everyone irrespective of religion for marriage and divorce. But, Muslims claimed it was an attack on their identity and opposed it. While, BJP and Sangh Parivar saw it as a stick they could beat up Muslims with, so they keep on insisting upon it. The issue became political hot plate with nobody willing to touch it for the fear of stroking passions and leading to disturbances.

 My Sikh colleague told me about marriages in Sikhism. There was no mention of marriage rituals in Adi Granth Sahib (Holy book of the Sikhs), but one of the later Gurus wrote a poem on marriage. Since, Sikhism also had to fight for its identity, they wanted their marriage rituals to be separate from Hindus. Marriage involves 4 pheras or rounds around the Granth Sahib while priest sings the Doha or poem written by the Guru on marriage.    

 Tribal marriages have as many varied rituals as there can be varied tribes, each having its set of rituals to be performed, depending on the system whether it is matriarchal or patriarchal. In some areas of Bihar there are marriages where groom is kidnapped by the brides' family.
 Due to the problem of family infanticide the ratio of girls and boys has become so much in favor of boys there are no girls' left for men to marry in some areas of Haryana and Punjab. They are taking brides from north- east and South India, where sex ratio is not as bad. In some families, many brothers(can be two-five depending on family)  marry just one woman, leading to interesting consequences, cultures being different of each region of India.

Marriages are social events in India with celebrations often paralleling  festivals. They can also be seen as socio-cultural expressions of identities of different social groups.

Planning for Culture In India

  

 The definition of ‘Culture’ in Indian context is very broad and can be confusing sometimes. It can mean from religious culture to language, to folk/ tribal culture to literature to visual arts and performing arts as well.

Article 29 of Constitution states- “All minorities, religious/ linguistic can set up their own educational institutions to preserve and develop their own culture.” (Linking culture to language and religion.) Language became the basis for carving out states post independence. The focus on culture became more pronounced in the early 1990s, following the Babri Masjid- Ayodhya conflict and led to many debates, but here again the discussions were mainly on culture as a religion. 

 Culture Ministry is a broad umbrella organization today, which looks into tangible (monuments) as well as intangible culture. It took a long period of time for Culture to get an independent Ministry of its own, and only four times in thirteen governments it has had an independent ministry.

Allocation in respect of Department or Ministry of   Culture	Date of Notification
M/o Scientific Research and Culture Affairs	Since 1961
Sanskriti Vibhag	3.5.1971
D/o Culture	17.6.1971
D/o Culture under M/o Education & Culture	17.9.1979
D/o Culture under M/o Culture Affairs	13.8.1985
D/o Culture under M/o HRD	25.9.1985
D/o Culture under M/o Culture, Youth Affairs & Sports	15.10.1999
D/o Culture under M/o Tourism & Culture	27.5.2000
M/o Culture	6.9.2001
D/o Culture under M/o Tourism & Culture	21.12.2001
M/o Culture	27.5.2004
D/o Culture under M/o Tourism & Culture	16.2.2006
M/o Culture	1.6.2006

 The five year plans in India are a major source to study Government of India's policy and outlook on various subjects. When we try to assess government’s policy on culture we invariably look to the Five Year Plans. Following the Socialist model of planning in Nehruvian India, everything had to be carefully thought out before it was implemented. Culture was an important issue but first the basic issues of food and agriculture had to be looked into.Culture suffered due to unrelated events like war, drought, economic crisis, etc. which affected government's spending on the arts and culture sector.   

Approach papers which are published before the Plans (earlier ones and including 10th, 11th and 12th) have been quite on Culture as well. Whenever there is something significant that government plans to do in the field of culture they make a special committee.

  The 1^st Five-year Plan was launched in 1951, and it had no mention of art/culture.

“Culture appears covertly under the guise of education (itself subsumed

 under the head of ‘Social Services and Rehabilitation’) in the First Plan. It

 does not in this text merit even a sub-heading. The chapter on ‘Education’

 however emphasizes its role in the shaping of a disciplined national citizenry.

 A central function of the educational system was also to ‘satisfy’ the nation’s

 ‘cultural needs,’ for it was through ‘the growth of the creative faculties’

 and through the developing of a ‘spirit of critical appreciation of arts, literature

 and other creative activities’ that individuals with ‘integrated’ personalities

 would emerge.”[1]

Under Education section, 2nd Five Year Plan (1956), had a number of important programmes- for the development of Arts, Akedemies were set up. Sahitya Akademy (academy of letters), the Lalit Kala Akademy (academy of fine arts), and the Sangeet Natak Akademy (academy of dance, drama and music) were set up. The 3^rd five year plan carried it forward and increased the budget. Among other programmes it proposed the setting up of a National Theatre and also a large open-air theatre in Delhi.

Two successive years of drought, devaluation of the currency, a general rise in prices and erosion of resources disrupted the planning process and after three Annual Plans between 1966 and 1969, the fourth Five-year plan was started in 1969.

4^th five year plan had a preface by Indira Gandhi and mentioned war. Cultural programmes received 1.5% of budget and talked of developing the Akademis further.

 5^TH Five year Plan with a note on economic situation, was divided into two parts 1974-77 and 1977-79. In relation to the first three years, the proposed outlay in the next two years marked an increase. Sixth Five Year Plan, under the section- Education, aimed at democratising culture and made it part of the program of human resource development.

7^th Five year plan (1985-90) had a section on Art and Culture, under Education, Culture and Sports- it proposed setting up of Zonal Cultural Centres in different regions of the country and for the dissemination of culture to the masses, the mass media was going to be utilised. The Centres would provide facilities for creative development of arts; with special emphasis on folk arts as also the revival of vanishing arts. The traditional fairs and festivals would be supported through the State agencies and Zonal Cultural Centres. Academies were strengthened. And proposed setting up of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Art (IGNCA) with a National Theatre on the same premises.

The Eighth Plan could not take off in 1990 due to the fast changing political situation at the Centre and the years 1990-91 and 1991-92 were treated as Annual Plans. The Eighth Plan was finally launched in 1992 after the initiation of structural adjustment policies.
8^th five year plan (1992-97) under Education, Culture and Sports-  Art and Culture had a long section dedicated to the subject. Seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC's) at Patiala, Nagpur, Allahabad, Udaipur, Shanti Niketan, Dimapur and Thanja-vur organised major events including workshops, fairs, exhibitions of folk, tribal arts and crafts, classical dance performances, music concerts, theatre fairs etc. The Sahitya Academi (SA), Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) and Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) continued their schemes relating to awards and fellowships to distinguished literary scholars and artists; held workshops, exhibitions, kala melas. The SNA also provided financial assistance to cultural institutions for training, production and research besides holding zonal theatre festivals.
A number of schemes, like building grants, financial assistance to dance, drama, theatre ensembles, promotion and dissemination of tribal/folk art and culture were implemented by the Department to encourage voluntary efforts. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) was registered as an autonomous trust in March, 1987 with four academic divisions of Kala Nidhi, Kala Kosha, Janapada Sampada, Kala Darshan and Sutradhara.
In the field of cultural policy, the three notable developments have been the NPE '86, departmental efforts for formulation of a National Policy on Culture and the Report of the High-level Committee on Academies and NSD (Haksar Committee). The NPE 1986 suggested enrichment of curricula by cultural content and establishment of linkages between the university systems and institutions of higher learning in art. The Haksar Committee gave a detailed exposition of its views on approach to culture, arts and values. It said, states should start inter-district programmes inviting local grassroot level artists of dying art forms. The present method of the Zonal Cultural Councils inviting troupes to perform in an ad hoc manner is demeaning to folk artistes.'
In the Eighth Five Year Plan the Sangeet Natak Akademy (SNA) proposed to publish a three-volume encyclopedia of music, dance and theatre, have a new campus for Kathak Kendra, open two peripheral centres in Delhi and hold national workshops on music, dance and theatre. The NSD, in addition to establishment of an independent campus, proposed to set up a Theatre Archives Museum, collect period costumes, model costumes and theatre traditions, extend its repertory company and organise an Annual Theatre Festival. It also proposed to initiate a National Cultural Exchange Programme with ZCCs acting as a nodal point for research in art forms, documentation of folk and tribal arts, museums etc. and another scheme for documentation of vanishing folk and tribal art forms under ZCCs. The Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO) had been asked to evaluate the scheme of Financial Assistance to Dance, Drama and Theatre Ensembles under which grants are given to well-established institutions to meet the expenditure towards salaries for "gurus' and artists, production grants etc.
To expose children and youth to the finest forms of creative expression multi-purpose cultural complex including those for children has been conceived as a joint venture of Centre and States. A cultural complex of international standard is proposed to he established in New Delhi through Sangeet Natak Academy to be financed partly from government resources and partly through non-budgetery sources. The IGNCA has done significant work so far and has successfully networked traditional centres of classical learning and scientific institutions. The Seventh Plan expenditure for Art and Culture was Rs. 450.89 crore.
For the first eight Plans the emphasis was on a growing public sector with massive investments in basic and heavy industries, but since the launch of the Ninth Plan in 1997, the emphasis on the public sector has become less pronounced and the current thinking on planning in the country, in general, is that it should increasingly be of an indicative nature.
Ninth Five Year Plan-  Chapter on- Art and Culture-  During the Eighth Plan, the thrust was on strengthening the regional and local museums; promoting tribal and folk culture and their systematic documentation by institutions like Anthropological Survey of India, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs), National and State Akademies of literature, performing, plastic and visual arts, State Departments of Culture, and setting up Shilp Grams. People’s initiative for dissemination of knowledge about the country’s various folk, tribal and classical arts, music, dance, theatre etc. was encouraged. Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra has been set up for protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the people of Assam. Kalakshetra, Chennai was declared an institute of national importance. Financial assistance was also provided through a number of schemes to dance, drama and theatre ensembles, as also to persons distinguished in arts and letters and such other disciplines for their creative work. The Lalit Kala Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi continued with their on-going programmes. The National School of Drama opened a regional centre at Bangalore and organised exhibitions and festivals of plays.
The activity in the culture sector continued to be the preservation, conservation, dissemination and promotion of all aspects of art and culture. Networking of Central and State institutions of culture including State Governments, State Akademies and Zonal Cultural Centres, Libraries and Museums were a high priority item. Priority was given to the publication programmes of the ASI, National Museum, Anthropological Survey of India, National Archives and the three national Akademies so as to bring out publications of high quality. Fellowships for authors and writers were provided to make the programmes attractive. To provide sustenance to artists engaged in performing arts, an increase in the scale of salary and production grant under ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ scheme was proposed. The scale of assistance to artists in indigent circumstances was also proposed to be increased to cover the increase in cost of living. Such financial assistance under ‘Guru Shishya Parampara’ was by then being provided to about 2000 artists annually.
The Department of Culture proposed to strengthen the network for preservation of classical folk and tribal arts and crafts consisting of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, the Anthropological Survey of India, the Zonal Cultural Centres, the three national Akademies, the NSD, the State Departments of Culture and the State Akademies. The scheme of National Culture Fund, initiated in 1996-97, was given a thrust during the Ninth Plan for promoting corporate involvement and people’s participation in preserving the cultural heritage of the country. Other programmes included a training scheme for cultural administrators in the Akademies, Zonal Centres and Govt to improve their management skills and impart knowledge of art and culture and a scheme of assistance to State and Central institutions for developing cultural software. There was a proposal for opening more Regional Resource Centres of the National School of Drama in other parts of the country. The NSD also proposed to work for propagating Indian theatre through workshops, seminars and exchange of troupes both within the country and abroad. A theatre festival at national level was also planned. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training would devise new training programmes for programme officers of State Akademies and Directorates of Culture / Zonal Cultural Centres and National Akademies. Management input would be provided to achieve optimum results.

Tenth Five Year Plan 2002-07 ART AND CULTURE

 The main concentration in the early Five Year Plans, from the First to the Seventh Plan, was the establishment of cultural institutions in the field of archaeology, anthropology, and ethnography, archives, libraries, museums, academies etc. Central conservation laboratories were also established. Serious efforts were made in the Sixth Plan to recognise culture as one of the basic concepts to be integrated with all development activities particularly at all levels in the education sector so as to make it more relevant to day-to-day life. During the Seventh Plan, an added thrust was given to contemporary creativity, preservation, documentation and conservation of the cultural heritage and

to established cultural institutions. A large number of programmes for the preservation of monuments and sites of national importance were also taken up on a priority basis. Efforts have also been made for strengthening regional and local museums, the

Anthropological Survey of India, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs), Akademies, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and science museums. Seven ZCCs were set up in various regions

to create cultural awareness among people and to identify, nurture and promote the vanishing folk art traditions in the rural and semi-urban areas. These are: Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Kolkata; North East Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Dimapur; West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC), Udaipur; South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), Thanjavur; North Central Zone Cultural Centre (NCZCC), Allahabad, Central ZCC, Nagpur and North ZCC, Patiala. They have been active in organising various programmes in their areas of operation. During the Ninth Plan period, the ZCCs were assigned two more activities – the Republic Day Folk Dance Festival and Craft Fair and documentation of vanishing folk art forms.

There are various central schemes through which the Department of Culture is granting fellowships to outstanding artists, scholarships to young artists, and financial assistance to needy persons who are distinguished in the letters and arts etc. and also to professional groups and individuals for specific performing art projects and to voluntary cultural organisations for the construction of buildings and purchase of equipment individuals.

Activities and programmes have been organised under 11 broad heads. They are Promotion and Dissemination, Archaeology, Museums, Archives, Anthropology, Performing Arts, Libraries, Buddhist and Tibetan Institutes, IGNCA, Activities for the Northeastern Region and Other Expenditure. The corpus fund of each ZCC is proposed

to be increased by a suitable amount in the Tenth Plan as these centres have been finding it difficult to meet increased administrative and programme expenses, especially given the declining accruals on account of lowering of interest rates. It focused mostly on ASI and Museums.

 Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007 

ART AND CULTURE-  The Tenth Plan (2002–07) allocation for Art and Culture was Rs 1720 crore. The total expenditure duringthe Tenth Plan at Rs 1526.30 crore accounted for 88.74% of Plan outlay. The expenditure under Promotion and Dissemination of Art and Culture at Rs 454.99 crore exceeded the Tenth Plan outlay of Rs 362.43 crore by 25.5%.

.

Promotion and dissemination of art and culture have been mainly done through seven ZCCs. The SNA, Sahitya Akademi (SA), and Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) organized Golden Jubilee Celebrations to commemorate their fiftieth anniversaries. SNA organized Music, Dance and Theatre Festivals, Seminars and Workshops, Yuva Utsavs and Puppetry Shows. LKA organized exhibitions in India and abroad. The National School of Drama conducted more than 300 production-oriented theatre workshops and organized a Satellite Theatre Festival in Bangalore.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) The mandate of IGNCA is to explore, study and revive the dialogue between India and her neighbours in areas pertaining to the arts, especially in South and South East Asia. IGNCA has six functional units, viz., Kalanidhi (multi-form library); Kalakosh (Indian language texts); Janapada Sampada (lifestyle studies); Kaladarshan (visible forms of IGNCA researches); Culture Informatics Lab (technology tools for cultural preservation); and Sutradhara (coordinating IGNCA activities). IGNCA had a plan outlay of Rs 90.00 crore. IGNCA’s performance suffered a setback due to administrative and other reasons including lack of credible Plan schemes. By the time the factors responsible for dismal performance and other issues were sorted out and IGNCA re-railed, the Tenth Plan closed with an expenditure of only Rs 4.12 crore.

Many art forms are in the peril of withering away due to the lack of State patronage. Market forces can also extend support to creative arts, but these are necessarily selective and limited. There is a need for greater support for performing arts and for correcting

the distortions induced by selective support of market forces. It is with this perspective that the existing schemes in the area of art and culture including Performing Arts, in addition to being reviewed and strengthened, have been appraised and recommended

for continuation in the Eleventh Plan with modifications. As Ministry of Culture has been facing recurrent cuts in outlay due to poor spending during the first two quarters, proper expenditure planning including phasing of expenditure in sub-sectors other than Akademies and ASI. In the field of art and culture, several schemes are being implemented without assessing the process and impact. Therefore, all the schemes will be evaluated.

 Performing Arts- The existing scheme of ‘Financial Assistance to Professional Groups and Individuals for Specified Performing Art Projects’ will be bifurcated into two schemes, viz., Salary and Production Grants with revisions in the cost structure. The scheme of ‘Financial Assistance for Research Support to Voluntary Organizations engaged in cultural activities’ will be modified as the scheme of ‘Financial Assistance for Research, Seminar and Performance to voluntary organizations engaged in cultural activities’. The existing scheme of ‘Award of Senior/Junior Fellowship to Outstanding Artists in the field of Performing, Literary and Classical Arts’ would be added with a new component, namely ‘Fellowship of National Eminence’, with fellowships to outstanding scholars selected through a search process and peer review.

Strategies for the Eleventh Plan

• Tapping of PPP models for sustenance of Arts and Crafts.

• Greater involvement of universities in schemes of Lalit Kala, Sangeet Natak, and Sahitya Akademies.

• SNA to promote and correct the imbalance in extending patronage to varied forms of art with focus on group and dances like Bihu, Bhangra, Nautanki, Dandiya, Bamboo and folk dances besides classical forms.

• Preserving and promoting India’s rich intangible cultural heritage by inventorizing and documenting oral traditions, indigenous knowledge systems, guru-shisya parampara, Vedic chanting, Kuddiattam, Ramlila, folklores and tribal, oral traditions.

Specific Plan of Action for Art and Culture

• Development of Sanskriti Grams for giving basic amenities to indigent urban artists.

• Promoting export of core cultural goods and services for taking the country in the list of   first 20 countries ranked by UNESCO for export of culture.

• Recognizing ‘cultural heritage tourism’ as an upcoming industry with mutually supportive activities.

• Building cultural resources with adaptation of scientific and technological knowledge to local circumstances, and forming partnerships between local and global.

• Infusion of knowledge capital in cultural institutions through flexible engagements.

• Housing segments on cultural resources in the national museums and Science Cities/Centres set up by the NCSM.

A new component under performing arts is the creation of a ‘National Artists Welfare Fund’—with a corpus of Rs 5.00 crore for meeting medical emergencies of artists—as an independent administered fund with facilities to receive contributions from any lawful

sources.

The Akademies and the ZCCs will have a new scheme called ‘Protecting the Intellectual Property Rights of the artists and of cultural industries’—especially of folk and tribal artists—along with the creation of a national apparatus to work as a watchdog and facilitator in this area. A Cultural Centre at Kolkata will be set up in PPP with Calcutta

Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with the State Government with provision for funding by the three Akademies.

THE PATH AHEAD

2.2.35 The strengthening of inter-organizational networks and introduction of management-oriented approaches in the administration of cultural institutions

are the two cardinal prerequisites for improving efficiency in the working of the cultural institutions.

2.2.36 Resuscitating India’s dwindling higher institutions of art and culture poses a real challenge and an action plan to strengthen these institutions needs to be worked out during the Eleventh Plan. Outstanding scholars from India and abroad could be encouraged to get associated with these organizations. However, it is important that institutions must be autonomous and develop a conducive working environment. In this

context, it is desirable to formulate norms and procedures for flexible engagement of scholars in higher institutions of art and culture. There is an urgent need for adopting the idea of concept makers. In other words, creating an Ideas Bank, which could explore

and scrutinize the ideas that originated in India first and then spread across the globe. The Ideas Bank could generate new research designs and modules with inter-disciplinary linkages to develop the growth of innovative research.

Sourced from-

Planhttp://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/welcome.html

13-3-12

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/index.php?state=planbody.htm

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/comments/inter.htm

Anita Cherian, “Institutional Maneuvers, Nationalizing Performance,Delineating Genre: Reading the Sangeet Natak  Akademi Reports 1953–1959”, Third Frame: Literature, Culture and Society Vol. 2, No. 3, July–September 2009, p.35-36

 This research was a part of WRAP (Working in Research and Policy) project for GATI. I would like to thank my co-researcher Manjari Kaul for her inputs and comments.

---

[1]    Anita Cherian, “Institutional Maneuvers, Nationalizing Performance,Delineating Genre: Reading the Sangeet Natak Akademi Reports 1953–1959, Third Frame: Literature, Culture and Society Vol. 2, No. 3, July–September 2009, p.35-36

Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA)

 Sangeet Natak Akademi -

  India's national academy for music, dance and drama  was the first National Academy of the arts. It was created by a resolution of the (then) Ministry of Education, Government of India, dated 31 May 1952. The Akademi became functional the following year, with the appointment of its first Chairman, Dr P.V. Rajamannar, and the formation of its all-India council of representatives, the General Council.

Sangeet Natak Akademi was reconstituted by the Government as a society and registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 (as amended in 1957) on 11 September 1961.
Akademi coordinates and collaborates with the governments and art academies of different States and Territories of India as also with major cultural institutions in the country. The Akademi establishes and looks after institutions and projects of national importance in the field of the performing arts. The National School of Drama, set up in 1959, was the first of their two national institutions of dance -- Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy in Imphal and Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance) in New Delhi - were set up in 1964 respectively. National Projects of Support to Kuttiyattam - the age-old Sanskrit theatre of Kerala(2007) - Chhau dances of eastern India (1994) and Sattriya traditions of Assam (2008) have been lauched subsequently. It organizes performances of music, dance, and theatre. These centers provide training, organize new festivals dedicated to these arts, support by way of research and documentation.

 The Akademi Awards are the highest national recognition conferred on eminent artistes. The Akademi also confers Fellowships and Scholarship, their numbers being restricted to 30 living recipients.
To subsidize the work of institutions engaged in teaching, performing or promoting music, dance, or theatre; the Akademi gives grants-in-aid for research, documentation, and publishing in the performing arts; organizes and subsidizes seminars and conferences of subject specialists; documents and records the performing arts for its audio-visual archive. As the apex body specializing in the performing arts of the country, the Akademi also renders advice and assistance to the Government of India in the task of formulating and implementing policies and programmes in the field. Additionally, the Akademi carries a part of the responsibilities of the state for fostering cultural contacts between various regions in India, and between India and the world.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi is presently an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes.

Based on General Performance Indicators (on frameworks laid down by IFACCA and Australian Cultural Engagement Framework) we can study SNA on Efficiency, Effectiveness, Economy and Equity to see how it  has fared on these indicators- (based on the last three available annual reports of SNA of 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11)

Efficiency:

Clarity and scope of objective.

   

• The SNA’s Constitution reveals its sense of all-encompassing purpose. The Aims and objectives have total 15 pts of which 5 pts are dedicated solely to theatre. National School of Drama was set up in 1958, and became an independent body in 1975, but SNA still focuses on theatre a lot more as compared to dance.
• Manipur Dance College was established in 1954. Anita Cherian (2009) questions the reasons for starting with it as the first initiative by SNA. “There is no explanation of the considerations motivating this extraordinary initiative, just as there is no rationale offered for the SNA’s recognition in the same year of Manipuri or the Ras Lila as a ‘classical’ dance form. Both these interventions provoke questions regarding the reasons prompting these distinctions. Clearly, an overt evocation of the spiritual is thought to be intrinsic to the idea of the classical.” (pg.41) She further points to the politics behind the move, when she says, “..it is not unreasonable to surmise that governmental distinctions such as an institution for the preservation of the Ras, or, its recognition as a classical form were intended as palliatives, compensating its coerced accession into the Indian Union in September 1949, under the conditions of the ‘Manipur Merger Agreement.’”(pg.42).

• SNA gives Awards as tokens of recognition and acknowledgment to artists’ and their art. Cherian criticises the approach adopted by SNA of giving awards only to established names and says, (2009, pg. 47) “…Rotation, with two forms and its practitioners nominated every year decided the yearly awards. In 1954–1955 under the categories of Bharata Natyam and Kathak, the awardees were Smt.      T. Balasaraswathi and Shri Shambhoo Maharaj. The following year (1955–1956) saw the recognition of Kathakali and Manipuri with Guru Kunju Kurup and Guru Amubi Singh given the prizes of ‘best dancers’ in these forms. In 1956–1957 it was the turn once again of Bharata Natyam and of Kathak, with Rukmini Devi Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, and Shri Baijnath Prasad adjudged awardees”.

• It was only in the year 2006 that Akademi also instituted Awards to young artists in the name of Ustad Bismillah Khan which are called “Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.”

• National Folk Dance Festival was organized as a part of Republic Day celebrations from its inception. An annual award for best dance was also kept, it had to be stopped in 1964, as it led to intense competition by states. They were sending troupes who presented ‘choreographed’ folk dances by college students. (Vidyarthi, 1969). 

  

• On the question of recognition of dance, Cherian (2009, pg. 48-49) points out,  “Vis-à-vis dance, ‘recognition’ at this time was restricted to ‘four well-known styles of classical dancing’ – Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kathak and Manipuri. The Reports offer neither comment about processes of recognition, nor reasons why these forms were chosen from the spectrum of the nation’s fabled diversity of performance practices. Additionally, the Reports do not refer to any criteria that might have been used to delineate the classical, nor does it speak of attempts made to reconstruct the pre-Independence histories of these forms. In 1955, on the occasion of the SNA’s National Dance Festival, Balasaraswathi claimed that the State’s choice of classical idioms reflected an equal division of forms from the north and the south, with Bharata Natyam and Kathakali representing the south, and Kathak and Manipuri, the north and east. ..” Later on, based on the linguistic division of states, the dances also were appropriated by different states (Manipuri for Manipur, Odissi for Orissa, Bharat Natyam for Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi for Andhra Pradesh and so on) and there was competition by different states to get the ‘official’ recognition.

• As the apex body specializing in the performing arts, the Akademi also renders advice and assistance to the Government of India in the task of formulating and implementing policies and programmes in the performing arts (Five Year Plan Proposals). Additionally, the Akademi carries a part of the responsibilities of the state for fostering cultural contacts between various regions in India, and between India and the world. It also conducts programs on anniversaries (Rajiv Gandhi death- birth anniversaries 2006 and so on), programs for visiting dignitaries, also programs for Ministry of Culture, ICCR, etc. and various state govt departments (Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, NAM Conference, Centenaries, etc).  In 2011, Ministry of Culture appointed SNA as nodal agency for co-ordinating India’s nominations for various lists and other actions under the UNESCO convention on. Intangible Cultural Heritage

• There is no suggestion in objectives of SNA for any welfare measures to be undertaken by the Akademi for artists’. Scheme for pension for artists’ was proposed (1977/78) along with Mediclaim (1995) replaced by aid for artists’ (2007).

    Strength of - project document / Schemes

·        SNA is government funded institute for promotion of performing arts in India. They run different schemes based on their budget outlays. Sometimes external factors outside their control, like wars, etc. have had an effect when their budgets have been curtailed (1963/64, also had to cancel Commonwealth Dance Festival in London, due to the same reason, Hall, 1966).

·        Starting with 4^th Five year Plan they have been getting different grants for special schemes like- Survey of folk music, folk dance and folk drama of India (1964), fellowship scheme for special training in music, dance and drama (1967/68), promotion and preservation of rare forms of traditional performing arts (1975-76) and ten rare art forms selected by a committee for support and assistance(1977-78).  Scheme for development of Tribal culture (1979/80).  Proposal was made in 7^th Five year Plan for special funds for least cared for states’/ regions to address regional cultural imbalance (1984-85) and Support was extended to Kuttiyattam and Chhau, under a Plan scheme for development of national centres for specialized training in dance, drama and music (1994/95). North East centre in Shillong on 20 Aug, 2008 was established for the purpose of preserving the traditional and folk performing art traditions of the entire North East.

·        Medi-claim policy for artists’ and awardees was proposed along with financial assistance to awardees in 1994-95 which was discontinued in 2007 and replaced by artists’ aid fund.

Effectiveness:

Implementation and Managerial arrangements:

• Post of Chairman earlier went to famous personalities, Royals like Maharaja of Mysore (1962), PM Indira Gandhi (1966), J J Bhabha (1994/95), artists’ Girish Karnad (1988Bhupen Hazarika (1998/99), Sonal Mansingh (2002/03), etc.

•  The choice of Chairman is an appointee of the government in power, if the govt changes, it can also lead to a change of Chairman, who could be replaced by a politician, bureaucrat, or an artist. Chairperson Sonal Mansingh’s tenure was marred by controversy, being a NDA appointee, she was replaced by UPA govt by appointing former Union Minister Ram Niwas Mirdha (2005). Artistes resigned from SNA’s General Council against her style of functioning and labelled her as autocratic.

• Awarding its own- When Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) sent out its press release, announcing its fellowship for eminent musician and scholar Shanno Khurana, it did not mention that she is a member of its executive board (EB). Nor did it say that her name had been proposed and rejected for the last three years — that is since this general council had been elected. (TOI, 2003/04/01).

Economy (Based on an analysis of annual reports- 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11)

• The section on ‘Promotional Activity through Media’, consistently shows no expenditure since 2008-09 till 2010-11.

• Grant in aid to institutions-   Although most grants were given in 2009-10 (469), but North East grant was most in 2010-11 (1059.50 lakhs). In terms of grants to institutions to different states, W.Bengal has always been ahead, followed by Orissa and J&K in all the three years. Most expenditure (Rs.388,644,209.64)by SNA was in the year 2010-11, followed by 2008-09. (Probably due to the festivals, Centanaries, Commonwealth Games, etc.)

• On survey, Research and Documentation- most expenditure  (Rs.14,234,714) by SNA was in the year 2010-11. In 2009-10 SNA spent just 4,221,240. Least amount was spent in 2009-10 on research (58,750). Most was spent on research in performing arts (538,600) in 2010-11.

• In terms of cultural exchanges abroad and in India  2010-11 (Rs.19,812,891)and 2008-09 were very busy. SNA spent a big amount with an increase of almost triple the amount from 2009-10 (Rs.7,588,791) but, still more than 2008-09 (Rs.11,968,594).  2008-09 was the busiest year for SNA followed closely by 2010-11 in terms of festivals and programs in India and abroad. Budget and expenditure of the Akademi in 2010-11 for Festivals, workshops and exhibitions was Rs. 79, 484,775.

                                                                               

• SNA Centers- In 2008, Kathak Kendra had the highest expenditure (Rs. 20,128,128). JNMDA saw an almost triple increase in expenditure from 2008-09 to 2010-11 (Rs. 49,288,740 from Rs. 14,736,037) . Kutiyattam Kendra had most expenditure in 2008-09 (Rs.11,165,836.). Sattriya Kendra also shows a slow increase in expenditure up to 2010 - 11(Rs.11,457,644.25 )

Equity:

 Intersocial equity  (Among socio-economic groups & Inclusive of socially marginal communities)

•  Two national institutions of dance — Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy in Imphal and Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance) in New Delhi— were set up in 1954 and 1964 respectively. National Projects of Support to Kutiyattam, the age-old Sanskrit theatre of Kerala, to Chhau dance of eastern India, and Sattriya traditions of Assam were launched subsequently. After ten years of intensive work under the Kutiyattam project, the Unesco declared Kutiyattam as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in May 2001 The Akademi inaugurated its Center for Kutiyattam, Kutiyattam Kendra, in Thiruvananthapuram on 27 May 2007. As a new initiative the Akademi set up the Sattriya Kendra (Centre for Sattriya dance, music and theatre traditions) in Guwahati, Assam on 15 July 2008 with the objective to promote, propagate and preserve these traditions.

• Further, the Akademi has also set up its North East Centre in Shillong on 20 August 2008 for the purpose of preservation of traditional and folk performing art and traditions of entire North East. In 2002-03, For cultural development, North-East was given 121.21 lakhs in funds.

• Mediclaim policy replaced by Artist aid fund.  In 2010-11 SNA spent most in the three years Rs. 2,567,165. 2)

 Interspacial Equity (Urban-Rural/ Overcoming a metro centricism)

• To avoid the Delhi centrism, Akademi also started presenting awards outside Delhi (1984-85)for the next few years- Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Bhubaneswar. They also opened centers in various parts of India.

• SNA subsidizes and co-ordinates cultural exchanges of select groups/individual artists between various states and UTs. Financial responsibility between SNA and the states is at 1:1 ratio. But, for J&K, North Eastern states and Sikkim, Akademi subsidizes 100% of expenditure incurred by these states.

Intergenerational Equity  (Development of skill among youth through Artists in Residence initiatives and Workshops with artists, Creating future audiences through appreciation of dance)

• Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for young artists below 35 years of age, amount of award was Rs. 25000 for 33 artists’ every year.

• On Young Artists’  Most expenditure  by SNA was in the year 2010-11, followed by 2008-09. Least amount was spent in 2009-10.

• On training and preservation of traditional folk and tribal performing arts Rs. 4,718,989 were spent in 2010-11.

• On Assistance and support to Contemporary and experimental works of music, dance and drama- SNA spent nothing in 2010-11. In 2009-10 Rs. 355,440 and 2008-09 Rs.3,932,876.

We can also study the timeline of SNA to map the major events since its inception that changed or impacted SNA - 

Year

Sangeet Natak Akademi                         (based on its annual reports’)

1953-58 1958-59 1961-62 1963-64 1964-65 1965-66 1966-67 1967-68 1972-73 1973-74 1974-75 1975-76 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 1982-83 1984-85 1988-89 1990-91 1991-92 1994-95 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-‘01 2001-‘02 2002-03 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

It was started in 4A-Jangpura, Mathura Road, with Dr. P V Rajamannar as its first Chairman, and KamalaDevi Chattopadhyay as its Vice Chairman, to co-ordinate all the activities in the field of dance, drama and music. Its objective was to promote cultural unity of the country, and to provide a system of patronage to Indian Arts’. Akademi promotes and strengthens unity by making suitable monetary grants and assigning projects of regional character. Manipur Dance College was established in 1954. National Dance Festival was organized in 1955. Awards were given to Kathakali, Manipuri, Kathak and Bharatnatyam. (Akademi also gave awards to films). There were only 8 Akademies to start with- Andhra, Pradesh, Assam, Mysore, Orissa, Bihar, Madras, Rajasthan and MP. Manipur dance Institute and Asian Theatre institute were being run by Akademi. Akademi granted financial assiatance to its affiliated and recognized institutions for, a) imparting higher education and training in dance, drama and music (included films), b) for purpose of research and survey and c) for publication of important works in music, dance, drama and films. 200 institutes all over India were recognized and affiliated by the Akademi, 111 in the field of music, 54 in drama, and 43 in the field of dance.  National Folk Dance Festival was organized as a part of Republic Day celebrations from its inception. An annual award for best dance was also kept. It worked with Ministry of Education (under which Ministry of Culture came) and ICCR for organizing functions for foreign dignitaries and for foreign festivals and programs abroad. NSD was set up in 1958 and merged with UNESCO sponsored Asian Theatre institute. In 1958, SNA organized a Seminar on Dance which lasted nine days. An expert committee was set up to go into the question of Akademi awards, to guide the Akademi, to advice whether present classification should continue or should there be any further or any basis for classification. Committee which met in December1958, was of the view that it would be more useful to give grant for the setting up and conducting of schools and develop them, rather than to make any awards at that stage. Committee held the view that a detailed questionnaire be prepared and data collected on about the different forms being practiced in different regions in the country. Executive Board agreed on gathering material for comprehensive classification of all dance forms prevalent in the country. This classification, however, need not be pursued for the purpose of awards. It further recommended to the General Council that in order to obviate any controversy as to the status of any of the schools of dance, the following two categories be added to the present categories- traditional Dance Forms and Modern Indian Dance.  In March, 1959, in the meeting of Regional Akademies, Chairman expressed the view that it  would be desirable to get Akademi registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Chairman also said it was necessary to have a survey of various art forms in respective regions, to prepare- a directory of institutions, and who’s who of Indian artists’. State Akademies were asked to adopt a definitive policy for organization of regional festivals of music, dance and drama (including folk forms).    Old SNA was dissolved by Government of India and Akademi was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 as a society. Maharaja of Mysore was appointed Chairman and 12 members were elected by co-option committee to General Council. Further 8 were elected and added. Executive Board met in March, 1962 to form various committees. Committee for development of dance had 8 members like Uday Shankar, Mrinalini Sarabhai, etc.  Due to war with China, SNA activities were on a restricted scale. SNA Museum was opened in 1964. In order to make realistic estimates for 4th Five year Plan, secretary in Ministry of education, asked secretary of Akademi to formulate some broad proposals for the development of Akademi as well as proposals for a 15 year period. General Council in its meeting on 18th August, 1964 formed a sub-committee with Venkatraman Aiyar as Chairman to examine the proposals. The government, meanwhile allocated SNA a sum of Rs. 25lakhs. The sub-committee suggested that this amount should be used for following purposes- a) Survey of folk music, folk dance and folk drama of India (3lakhs per year, Rs. 15 lakhs during the Plan); b) Research unit for study of science of music (Rs. 1lakh per year, Rs. 5lakh during Plan); c) Taking over and maintainance of houses and monuments associated with music, dance and drama and of historic importance. (Rs. 50,000 per year, Rs. 2.50 lakhs during Plan); and d) Development of SNA Museum (Rs. 50,000 per year, Rs. 2.50 lakhs during Plan). Kathak Kendra was established in 1964. Maharaja of Mysore resigned as Chairman, Indira Gandhi, PM and Minister of Information and Broadcasting took over as Chairman. In the course of year, the overall allocation was reduced to 22.50 lakh by the government. These remained the same- a) Survey of folk music, folk dance and folk drama of India, b) Research unit for study of science of music and c) Development of SNA Museum, but took out-  Taking over and maintainance of houses and monuments associated with music, dance and drama and of historic importance. (Rs. 50,000 per year, Rs. 2.50 lakhs during Plan); Executive Board set up a committee which decided on number of awards (4 for dance) and To the above three points of the Plan - a) Survey of folk music, folk dance and folk drama of India, b) Research unit for study of science of music and c)Development of SNA Museum was added- d) fellowship scheme for special training in music, dance and drama, with extra money which was to be carried out on a year to year basis. KPS Menon earlier Vice- Chairman was appointed the Chairman of SNA. Last year of the Plan but Akademi proposed to continue with the schemes. National Folk Dance Ensemble established with Zohra Sehgal as Director. Chairman’s note at the start of the Annual Report mentioned financial difficulties due to which some schemes were shelved. Alkazi resigned as head of NSD, which led to NSD becoming independent and being registered as society in 1975. Schemes continued through Fifth Plan-a) Documentation, Research and building u of Archives, b) Research unit in the science of music, c) fellowship scheme for special training in music, dance and drama, d) promotion and preservation of rare forms of traditional performing arts, e) ballet unit and publication of handbooks attached to Kathak Kendra, f) ballet unit and publication of handbooks – JMDA, Imphal, g) repertory company of NSD. New Chairman Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Vice Chairman Kapila Vatsayayan proposed re-evaluation of SNA’s functions with reference to objectives and priorities. Rules were amended to provide representation to all states and UTs. Also, General Council representative on Executive Board increased from 9 to 11. Young blood to be given more representation. Ten rare art forms selected by a committee for support and assistance. New General Council was constituted.   Scheme for pension for artists’ was proposed. Department of Culture started scheme on inter-state exchange of culture. Pan schemes continued, plus development of Tribal culture was added to it. Under new Chairman Dr. Narayan Menon, SNA actively participated in cultural programs in festival of India (UK), Asian Games, NAM conference in Delhi.    Proposal was made in 7th Five year Plan for special funds for least cared for states’/ regions to address regional cultural imbalance. Promotion of grants’ to individuals, and policy to give large grant to few institutions rather than few grant to large numbers. Akademi started presenting awards outside Delhi for the next few years- Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Bhubaneswar. New festivals were started – Lok Utsav (‘84), Natya Samaroh (84), Yuva Utsav and Nritya Pratibha (in ‘85); held convention in Teen Murti on ‘Role of performing arts in National integration’in 1987. New Chairman appointed Girish Karnad. Dissolution of Akademi, and new General Council formed in 1988.  India International festival of Dance was organized by SNA from 8-25 Dec. 1990, in which 23 countries participated. Symposiums, workshops, performances, etc. were arranged too. Medi-claim policy for artists’ and awardees was proposed along with financial assistance to awardees. New Chairman Jamshed J Bhabha appointed. Support was extended to Kuttiyattam and Chhau, under a Plan scheme for development of national centres for specialized training in dance, drama and music. Under new Chairman Bhupen Hazarika, festival of  South Asian music and Dance was organized. Review committee was formed to review working of Kathak Kendra which submitted its report to Executive Board in 1997, to General Council in 1998 and to MOC, Government of India. Programme was organized in support of artists’ affected by Orissa cyclones. Kargil Vijay Diwas along with fifty years’ of Republic was celebrated with Swarnotsav festivals. Khajuraho and Konark dance festivals were organized as well.  Uday Shankar centenary samarohs were organized. Golden Jubilee was celebrated of Akademi with various programs. New Chairman Sonal Mansingh was appointed. For cultural development, North-East was given 121.21 lakhs in funds. For the first time World Dance Day was celebrated with other leading dance institutes of Delhi.  Nritya Sangam started in 2004. Ram Niwas Mirdha was appointed as Chairman replacing Sonal Mansingh in June, 2005 while Panikkar continued as Vice Chairman. Akademi instituted Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for young artists below 35 years of age, amount of award was Rs. 25000 for 33 artists’ every year.  International Kathak Festival was celebrated in San Francisco, USA, with programs and symposium on Kathak. Akademi inaugurated Kutiyattam Kendra in Thiruvananthapuram on 27th May, 2007. SNA also sponsored Delhi International Arts Festival by Prasiddha Foundation and presented programs of classical dance from 16-29 Dec. 2007.  On 23 Oct, 2007 Mediclaim scheme was replaced with Artists Aid Fund. Akademi set up the Sattriya Kendra at Guwahati, Assam on 15 July, 2008. Akademi also set up its North East centre in Shillong on 20 Aug, 2008 for the purpose of preserving the traditional and folk performing art traditions of the entire North East. Due to Ram Niwas Mirdha’s demise, Ratan Thiyam elected Vice Chairman the same year, looked after the Akademi’s workings. Vadya Darshan –Tableau on musical instruments of India in Republic Day parade, which was awarded first prize by Ministry of Defence in 2010.  Leela Samson was appointed as Chairman of the Akademi on 10th Aug, 2010. After Thiyam’s resignation, Shanta Serbjeet Singh was elected as Vice Chairman on 16Mar. 2011.   In 2011, Ministry of Culture appointed SNA as nodal agency for co-ordinating India’s nominations for various lists and other actions under the UNESCO convention on. Intangible Cultural Heritage

      

References-

Cherian, Anita,  2009, Institutional Maneuvers, Nationalizing Performance,Delineating Genre: Reading the Sangeet Natak Akademi Reports 1953–1959 , Third Frame: Literature, Culture and Society Vol. 2, No. 3, July–September, 32–60

Vidyarthi, Govind, 1969, The Republic Day Folk Dance Festival, SNA Journal No.12, April to June, 74-84  

Hall, Fernau, 1966, Dance at the Commonwealth Arts Festival, SNA Journal No.2, April, 43-62.

SNA Annual Reports

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-04-27/india/27863473_1_chairperson-sonal-mansingh-artistes-chandigarh-sangeet-natak-akademi

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-04-01/india/27287382_1_karanth-sangeet-natak-akademi-fellowship

This research on SNA was a part of WRAP (Working in Research and Policy) project for GATI. I would like to thank my colleague Manjari Kaul for her inputs and comments.