RESURRECTING DURBAL INDIAN ART FORMS
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Publisher: Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
Book Review:
RESURRECTING DURBAL INDIAN ART FORMS
Authors: MANEESHA AGARWAL MVG
Publisher: Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
ISBN: 978-93-5409-781-2, Price: INR 505/- USD $ 21, Pages: 168, PB
By - SANTANU GANGULY
Indian art consists of a variety of art forms, including painting, sculpture, pottery, and textile arts such as woven silk. Geographically, it spans the entire Indian subcontinent, including what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and at times eastern Afghanistan. A strong sense of design is characteristic of Indian art and can be observed in its modern and traditional forms.
The origin of Indian art can be traced to prehistoric settlements in the 3rd millennium BCE. On its way to modern times, Indian art has had cultural influences, as well as religious influences such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam. In spite of this complex mixture of religious traditions, generally, the prevailing artistic style at any time and place has been shared by the major religious groups.
In historic art, sculpture in stone and metal, mainly religious, has survived the Indian climate better than other media and provides most of the best remains. Many of the most important ancient finds that are not in carved stone come from the surrounding, drier regions rather than India itself. Indian funeral and philosophic traditions exclude grave goods, which is the main source of ancient art in other cultures.
Indian artist styles historically followed Indian religions out of the subcontinent, having an especially large influence in Tibet, South East Asia and China. Indian art has itself received influences at times, especially from Central Asia and Iran, and Europe.
Culture plays an important role in the development of any nation. It represents a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices. Culture and creativity manifest themselves in almost all economic, social and other activities. A country as diverse as India is symbolized by the plurality of its culture.
India has one of the world’s largest collections of songs, music, dance, theatre, folk traditions, performing arts, rites and rituals, paintings and writings that are known, as the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ (ICH) of humanity. In order to preserve these elements, the Ministry of Culture implements a number of schemes and programmes aimed at providing financial support to individuals, groups and cultural organizations engaged in performing, visual and literary arts etc.
This section offers comprehensive information related to cultural heritage, ancient monuments, literary arts, visual arts, schemes, programmes, performing arts, fairs and festivals and handicraft of India. Detailed information on various organizations involved in promotion and propagation of Indian art and culture is also available in this section.
Excerpt from the book:
Foreword
This book is a kind of enchiridion. It is lucidly written, with a purpose to inspire and inform its readers about those performing art forms of India that today stand on the verge of getting lost. Prof. Kiran Seth, founder of SPIC MACAY has pointed out a provocative irony about such endangered performing arts. He observes:
When Ustad Asad Ali Khan passed away, it suddenly struck me that future generations would not possibly hear the Rudra Veena played in the majestic 'Khandarvani' style that he had mastered. A legacy passed down through many generations has only one doubtful inheritor. When the tiger was getting extinct the dwindling numbers were carefully recorded and great efforts were and are being made to make sure that our children and their progeny do not miss out on this beautifully evolved animal. However, a treasure chest of our heritage has just disappeared and very little attention is being paid to this fact.
Art forms such as Dhrupad, Biraha and Koodiyattam, instruments such as Rudra Veena, Sarangi, and Gottuvadyam are struggling for their survival in today's time. Performing arts such as Koodiyattam and Baul have been recognised as the 'masterpieces of the oral and intangible traditions of humanity', not by the Indian Government but by UNESCO. Gross negligence has been happening to the best of our heritage that has been handed down to us after centuries of experimentation.
The purpose of Indian art forms has never been to create a mere performer or an artist. They were developed not just to provide entertainment. Their training necessarily comprises some meditative states that help its practitioners turn inwards for an intuitive awareness that finally results in creativity and emerges as new forms of artistic expressions.
For several centuries, using their own body and mind as a laboratory, our ancestors have conducted extensive research in the inner domain to infer abstract, subtle, inspiring, and mystical truths. Consequently, their discoveries got reflected through varied art forms. Our arts have imbibed elements of yoga and meditation to reach states of intense experiences. They have acted as mediums to pass on the best of our heritage to newer generations. Their approach is very similar to modern-day scientific research. The results of such experimentation are in the intangible domain and are still useful for uplifting the human consciousness.
Publications Division is a repository of books and journals highlighting subjects of national importance and India’s rich cultural heritage. Established in 1941, Publications Division has emerged as a premier publishing house of the Government of India, enriching the national knowledge repository in distinctive streams as under :
(i) Preserving and showcasing India’s heritage with quality publications on land and people, history of the freedom movement, art and culture, flora and fauna, Gandhian literature, biographies of the builders of modern India during the freedom movement, leading luminaries in the field of culture, philosophy, science, literature, etc.
(ii) Bringing out speeches of the Presidents/ Prime Ministers, books on contemporary science, economy, history, and other subjects with an underlying focus on Indian society and readership; and
(iii) Bringing out Children’s literature - fiction and non-fiction material with the broad objective of providing infotainment, spreading awareness about the land, people, heritage, culture, and society aiming at inculcating human values and scientific temper among children.
The contribution of DPD assumes importance as being a unique publishing house competing in the market on one hand, and a pioneer government organization on the other. The Division played a pioneering role in publishing classic works during the days when the Indian publishing industry was nascent and media reach was limited.
Books on the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi hold a place of pride for the Division. Publications Division has published several books on Gandhian thoughts including the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) in 100 volumes, in English, and Sampoorna Gandhi Vangmaya in Hindi which is considered to be the most comprehensive and authentic collection of Gandhiji’s writings. The Division enjoys credibility among the publishers and is well recognised for the authenticity of the content and affordable price of publications. Publications Division, in collaboration with Gujarat Vidyapeeth, and under the supervision of prominent Gandhian scholars, has also prepared the e-version of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (e-CWMG), a fully searchable Master copy, in the form of a well-designed set of DVDs. This monumental work is a lasting contribution to the national heritage by preserving Mahatma Gandhi’s written words in permanent and tamper-proof electronic format. The e-CWMG is also hosted on the Gandhi Heritage Portal, a comprehensive repository of authentic Gandhian literature. The endeavor to get more Gandhian titles is continuing.
Publications Division is continuously endeavoring to outreach its efforts to further enrich and diversify its content and to reach more and more people. With this end in mind, Publications Division is making meticulous efforts to make partnership arrangements with reputed institutions, Gandhian Organizations, and prestigious publishers working for similar causes of enriching the reading public. Publications Division is also making similar arrangements with its sister organizations in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Such partnerships have already started bearing fruits and the Publications Division is being enriched with quality publications in the areas of Gandhian thought, art, culture, cinema, and other aspects of national heritage.
JOURNALS
Besides books, the Publications Division also publishes 18 monthly journals, which include Yojana in English, Hindi and 11 other languages, Kurukshetra (English and Hindi), Bal Bharati (Hindi) and Aajkal (Hindi and Urdu). These journals have a large readership and enjoy a high degree of credibility among the public. These journals reflect the initiatives of the Government and the country’s progress in different areas covering a wide range of subjects such as economic development, rural reconstruction, community development, literature, culture, children’s literature and information on employment and career opportunities.
Yojana, the flagship journal of the Division published since 1957, seeks to carry the message of planned development to all sections of society and serves as a forum to promote a healthy discussion representing a cross-section of views on socio-economic aspects of development. Yojana, published in 13 languages with a combined circulation of above 2 lakhs per month, is counted among the largest circulated journals in the field of development journalism. The journal tries to focus on contemporary issues.
Kurukshetra, published since 1952 in English and Hindi, is a unique monthly journal dedicated to rural development issues. It serves as a platform for exchange of ideas on policies and programmes related to rural development. Combined circulation of Kurukshetra (English and Hindi) is close to 1,00,000 per month. During last one year, Kurukshetra has highlighted the government’s initiatives in the rural sector covering varied topics such as Swachhta, Boosting farmers’ income, Rural Health, Irrigation and water conservation, Digital Rural India and Skilling Rural Youth.
Bal Bharati, the popular children’s monthly in Hindi, is being published regularly since 1948. Its objective is to provide healthy entertainment to children while educating them at the same time and also inculcating in them human values and scientific temper through short stories, poems, picture stories and informative articles.
Ajkal, the prestigious literary magazine published since 1945 in Hindi and 1942 in Urdu, brings out a number of special issues and covers different aspects of Indian culture and literature.
Employment news is the flagship weekly job journal of Publications Division ,Ministry of Information and Broadcasting .It was launched in 1976 with a view to provide information on employment and career guidance opportunities to youth of the country who are seeking jobs or better career options.The job journal is published in English, Hindi (Rozgar Samachar) and Urdu (Rozgar Samachar).
It provides information related to job vacancies, job oriented training programmes, admission notices related to job oriented exams and results of recruitment exams in respect of (a) Ministries/Department/Offices/organizations/ autonomous bodies/societies/PSUs of the Central Government, State Government and UT Administrations (b) Nationalized banks/ RRbs / UPSC/SSC/ Constitutional and statutory bodies and (c) Central/State Government Universities/ Colleges/ Institutes recognized by the UGC/AICTE. In addition to this, Employment News also provides editorial content on socio-economic issues as a guide to the youth; especially those in rural areas, by helping them gain an understanding of the job market and the plethora of employment opportunities that otherwise may go unnoticed. The weekly educates young people to make an informed decision about their careers. It is available throughout the length and breadth of the country.
ORGANIZATIONAL SETUP
The Directorate of Publications Division is headed by Director General (DG), who is assisted by Director level officers heading Editorial, Business, Production, IT and Administration divisions and Employment News. The headquarters of the Publications Division is at Soochna Bhavan, CGO Complex at New Delhi and it functions through its various sales emporia at New Delhi (Headquarters), Delhi (old Secretariat), Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram and Yojana offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Thiruvananathapruam and Bengaluru.
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