National
Mission on Libraries
launched
- The National Knowledge
Commission (NKC) in its Report to the Nation (2006-2009) made
ten major recommendations on libraries. In pursuance of this, a High Level
Committee to be called as National Mission on Libraries (NML) has been set
up by the Government of India
- The composition
of the Committee, terms of reference, tenure, management support and
method of operation has been elaborated in the Gazette of India (Part I
Section I Number 20) issued by the Government on 4th May 2012*.
- Raja Rammohun Roy
Library Foundation (RRRLF), an
autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture will be the nodal agency for
the National Mission on Libraries for administrative, logistics, planning
and budgeting purposes.
- The first meeting
of the NML* was held on 18th May, 2012. In this meeting certain decisions
have been taken for improvement in the library sector.
- These
include: national census of libraries, content creation and
setting up of community information centres, up-gradation of the existing
public libraries, school and college libraries and use of school libraries
as community libraries, and improvement in library and information science
education training and research facilities.
- an amount of Rs.400.00 crore
has been earmarked for NML Project for the Twelfth Five Year Plan and an amount of
Rs. 50.00 crore has been proposed in the Annual Plan proposal for the year
2013-14. During 2012-13 an amount of Rs.3.00 crore has been earmarked and
the expenditure incurred till date is Rs.24.86 lakhs.
NML has also decided
to set up Working Groups with domain experts to prepare an implementation plan.
The Mission would be primarily an advisory body to endorse the plans and
programs prepared by the Working Groups.
- aims to promote cultural
awareness among school children, to develop a love for India’s rich cultural heritage.
- the focus is on the
less-privileged children residing in backward areas through regional
languages as a medium of communication as far as possible.
- The Scheme would broadly
consist of distribution of existing audio-visual (AV)
materials related to culture amongst
schools, production of new AV material including publications related to
culture.
- It will support visits to
monuments and museums by students of less-privileged schools. The
financial assistance by the Ministry of Culture would consist of upto Rs. 5000/- per set of DVD in case of AV material; upto Rs. 1 lakh for production of
CDs/DVDs/Publications for children and upto Rs. 500 per
child, per trip in case of visits to monuments, which will include the cost
of conveyance, food, entry fee for ticketed monuments/shows etc. Ministry
of Culture may double this assistance in cases of exceptional merit.”
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scheme of Financial Assistance
for publication of magazines and journals
- under the scheme Ministry of Culture
will give financial support of upto Rs. 10 lakh a year, and in exceptional
cases, upto Rs. 20 lakh ,to magazines and journals dedicated to India’s
cultural heritage.
- scheme is intended to fill a
gap being currently encountered in financial assistance for publication
and support to journals and magazines dedicated to India’s culture and
heritage.
- it will also cover publication
of books on Indian culture and heritage.
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- 100th Anniversary of Indian Cinema was celebrated at the Cannes Film
Festival
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- She was perhaps one of the
earliest feminists in our country, celebrating the beauty and power of a
women through her paintings.
- Amrita Shergil’s philosophy for
life is best expressed in her own words: “I will enjoy my beauty because
it is given for a short-time and joy is a short-lived thing”.
- Amrita Shergil’s art displayed
a blend of European and Indian influences that was well ahead of her
times.
- Her command over handling of
oil medium and use of colour, as well as her vigorous brushwork and strong
feeling for composition, were the marks of a genius.
- The Ministry of Culture in
collaboration with the Department of Posts released a Special Cover to
launch the birth centenary celebrations. The Special Cover has one of
her most beautiful painting, printed on it. The painting on the Special
Cover is entitled ‘Three
Girls’. ‘Three Girls’ was painted in 1935 by Amrita Sher-Gil. It was the
first painting after her return from Europe following her art studies in
Paris. This painting won her a gold medal from the Bombay Art Society. A
change in her visual language is observed when compared to that of her
paintings done in Europe. The influence of Gauguin in the flattened
treatment of figures is noteworthy. The use of red becomes predominant in
her works thereafter.
- Amrita
Sher-Gil spent her short life of 28 years searching passionately for her
own path, as a painter and as a woman, in art.
- The
distinctive merit of her European oeuvre is the rich, sensual pictorial
quality and the fact that, though raised in the tradition of European
academicism at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and French post-impressionism in
Paris, as well as plein-air painting in Hungary, she revived and renewed
her Indian painting heritage as a living source of inspiration in her
work.
- Later,
independent of all ‘modern-isms’, she created her own world of painting.
The works embody a heightened intensity of colour and form, with its
individual themes, its objectivity and subjectivity and can be considered
the creator of Indian modernism.
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3-Day International Seminar on Rajasthani
Miniature Painting in New Delhi
- participation of eminent art
historians and scholars from India and abroad.
Miniature Painting
- Miniatures
paintings are beautiful handmade paintings, which are quite colorful but
small in size.
- The
highlight of these paintings is the intricate and delicate brushwork,
which lends them a unique identity.
- The
colors are handmade, from minerals, vegetables, precious stones, indigo,
conch shells, pure gold and silver.
- The
most common theme of the Miniature painting of India comprises of the Ragas
i.e., the musical codes of Indian classical music.
History of Miniature Painting in India
- The
evolution of Indian Miniatures paintings started in the Western Himalayas,
around the 17th century.
- These
paintings were highly influenced by the mural paintings that originated
during the later half of the 18th century.
- During
the time of the Muslim kings of the Deccan and Malwa as well as the Hindu
Rajas of Rajasthan, this art flourished to quite an extent.
- Infact,
the Mughals were responsible for introducing Persian tradition in the
Miniature paintings of India.
Western
Indian miniature painting
- In western India between the
10th to 12th century miniature painting developed.
- These small paintings were part
of manuscripts written at the time and illustrate the subjects of the
manuscripts.
- These miniatures are found in
some Hindu and Jaina manuscripts and are of 2 to 4 inches in size.
- During 12th to 17th century
western Indian miniature paintings flourish very rich.
- Modern western Indian states;
Gujarat state and Rajasthan state were integrated into western India of
that time. Particular manuscript miniature painting developed in the
western part of India that is modern state of Gujarat. From 17th century
"Rajput miniature painting " developed in the western part of
India that is modern western state of Rajasthan.
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Protection
of Native Languages and
Cultures
- the UNESCO in its 2009 Report on Language Endangerment
has listed 196
Indian languages/mother tongues facing different
levels of endangerment. However, all of them are not endangered.
- a
scheme for protection and preservation of 520 languages/mother tongues
spoken by less than 10000 persons,
in order of increasing number of speakers starting from the languages
having the least number of speakers, is implemented by the Central
Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore for the 12th Five Year Plan
period.
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- The National Culture Fund was
established by the Ministry of Culture in 1996 as a Trust under the
Charitable Endowments Act. 1890.
- NCF`s primary mandate is to
establish and nurture Public Private Partnerships
(PPP) in the field of heritage.
- NCF`s role is to catalyze
relationships between private, public, government, non-government
agencies, private institutions and foundations and mobilize resources for
the restoration, conservation, protection and development of India`s rich,
natural, tangible and intangible heritage.
- NCF provides donors
with 100% tax benefit under section 80G (2) of the Income Tax Act and acknowledges the generous contributions
of the donor.
- Presently, NCF already has such
partnerships for the conservation of monuments with some Public Sector
Undertakings like the NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, IOC, HUDCO, REC etc and also with
Private sector companies.
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National Council of Science Museums
(NCSM)
- 24 Science Centres have been developed and
are run by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous
organization under the Ministry of Culture.
- In addition, 16 Science Centres, developed by
NCSM, are run by State/UT authorities.
- The function of a science
centre is to develop scientific attitude and temper and to create,
inculcate and sustain a general awareness amongst the people.
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- the amount of
scholarship given to students to maintain Indian culture for
art, music, dance, etc. by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training
(CCRT) is Rs.3600/- per year per student.
- In addition to this,
actual tuition fee paid for the specialized training to the institution or
to the Guru/Teacher is also reimbursed up to ceiling of Rs.9000/- per year.
- on the recommendation of
the Executive Committee, a sub-Committee was constituted by CCRT to review
Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme. The said
Committee in its report recommended for increase of the amount of
scholarships to Rs.12000/- per year per child and the tuition fee for the
specialized training to the institution or to the Guru/Teacher to
Rs.18000/- per year. However, no recommendation was made by
the Committee towards increase in the number of scholarship to be awarded
each year.
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Year-Long
Campaign on ‘Cultural Barriers in Women’s Health’
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Indira
Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal.
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- It is an International
Award with prize money of Rs. 1 Crore for promoting values of Cultural
Harmony.
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Nomination of Majuli Island as World
Heritage Site
the
following nomination dossiers have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre
for inscription in the World Heritage List of UNESCO in the last three years:
by IndiA
2010:
2011:
2012:
2013:
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Centres
- Government has set up seven Zonal
Cultural Centres (ZCCs) having their headquarters at Patiala,
Udaipur, Allahabad, Kolkata,Dimapur, Nagpur and Thanjavur.
- The main objective of the ZCCs is the preservation,
promotion and dissemination of the traditional folk arts and culture of
the various States/ UTs.
- The ZCCs endeavor to develop and promote the rich
diversity and uniqueness of various arts of the Zone and to upgrade and
enrich consciousness of the people about their cultural heritage.
- The ZCCs have been carrying out various activities and
organizing programmes at the national, zonal and local levels in
accordance with their aims and objectives implemented through following
schemes:–
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- The rich and diverse range of
Amir Khusrau’s work in culture, science and art provides an understanding
of the art and culture of the 13th -14th century era of Amir Khusrau
Dehlvi and their continuity into present day India. It elaborates the
foundation of a vital chord of Indian heritage, history, and culture which
has produced an amazing range of works of art from architecture to music
thus putting the multi-faceted contributions of Amir Khusrau in
contemporary context with a diverse array of related objects and visuals
from the collection of National Museum and contemporary sources.
Amir
Khusrau, one of the greatest poets of this region, lived in the period which
saw an amazing influx of scholars, poets, artisans, Sufis, travellers, and
merchants from Persianate Central Asia.
- He saw the merging of two great
civilizations and wove them so beautifully in his literary works.
- He served as a court poet to
several nobles and Sultans of Delhi Sultanates between 13th and 14th
centuries: recording their battles and guiding their political campaigns;
praising them eloquently in metaphors and analogies of Persian literature
adapted within Indian imageries; creating governance norms and ethics;
making discourses and innovations in science and music; writing epic historical
and love poems; and, as a devout of Hazrat
Nizamuddin Auliya, the revered 13/14th century Chishti Sufi of Delhi, he gave to us the vibrant
artistic traditions of Sufiana music and poetry – which continue till
today in many oral traditions ranging from the classical to the
folk.
Amir Khusrau Dehlvi saw the merging of two great civilizations and wove them so
beautifully in his literary works that they even surpassed the masters from
Persia and Central Asia.
The World of Amir Khusrau exhibition is conceived in conjunction with the
Jashn-e-Khusrau – a festival of music concerts, films, lectures, exhibitions,
heritage walks, and poem recitals – celebrating the many legends, attributions,
contributions and his beloved place (city of Dehli) of the 13th century
historian, poet, mystic, and musician – Amir Khusrau.
a) To help
women artisans of the informal sector achieve economic security through
traditional livelihoods;
b) To promote greater awareness, acceptance and demand for
local arts and crafts; and
c) To revive and restore the crafts centre.
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- is a listed NAVRATNA Central
Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Power.
- REC is engaged in providing
financial assistance to Central/State Power Utilities for Generation,
Transmission & Distribution Projects and nodal agency for
implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) Schemes
including DDG Schemes and Renewable Energy Projects all across the
country.
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
- was established in 1992 to
facilitate the empowerment of self employed women workers within the
cooperative framework.
- SEWA’s members are home-based
workers, small producers, street vendors, manual labourers and service
providers including agricultural labourers and construction workers.
- SEWA’s main goals are to
organize the women workers for full employment and self-reliance.
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Shri
Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty ------------ Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi (recent
appoinment)
Lalit
Kala Akademi
- To
promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside
the country, the Government established Lalit Kala Akademi (National
Akademi of Fine Arts) at New Delhi in 1954.
- To
decentralise its activities, the Akademi has set up regional centres
called Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra at Lucknow, Calcutta, Chennai and
Bhubaneswar as well as a small office at Mumbai.
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Herman Kallenbach
- Herman
Kallenbach (1871-1945) was one of the foremost friends and associates of
Mahatma Gandhi while they were working in South Africa.
- A
German born Jewish South African architect, Kallenbach was greatly
influenced by Gandhiji’s views on Satyagraha and
donated his thousand acre farm to Gandhiji near Johannesburg, which
was developed as “Tolstoy Farm” housing the families of Satyagrahis.
- It
became the laboratory for experimenting Gandhian Philosophy, i.e. simple lifestyle, vegetarian
diet, social equality, politics and self-sustained economy.
- Kallenbach
remain involved with Gandhiji throughout the Satyagraha in
South Africa and also accompanied Gandhiji and Kasturba Gandhi on their final
voyage from South Africa to London in 1914.
- Gandhiji and Kallenbach used to call
each other as “Upper House” and “Lower House” respectively, Lower House
preparing the budget and Upper House vetoing it in large chunks.
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National Council of Science Museums
(NCSM)Amir Khusrau Dehlvi saw the merging of two great civilizations and wove them so beautifully in his literary works that they even surpassed the masters from Persia and Central Asia.
The World of Amir Khusrau exhibition is conceived in conjunction with the Jashn-e-Khusrau – a festival of music concerts, films, lectures, exhibitions, heritage walks, and poem recitals – celebrating the many legends, attributions, contributions and his beloved place (city of Dehli) of the 13th century historian, poet, mystic, and musician – Amir Khusrau.
b) To promote greater awareness, acceptance and demand for local arts and crafts; and
c) To revive and restore the crafts centre.
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
Lalit
Kala Akademi
