Source: Press Information Bureau
Government of India’s initiatives to promote the Culture of India
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav
- The government of India organizes the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav to promote the culture of the country and the recent one was held at Prayag, Uttar Pradesh during Kumbh Mela.
- Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav aims to celebrate national integration and idea of unity in diversity of the country.
- It celebrates the rich culture and heritage of India.
- It aims to provide a platform to bring together artists from each corner of the country.
- It covers events including art forms from classical and folk music and dance, theatre to literature and visual arts.
- It also showcases gallery of Indian art forms and tradition for the discerning audience.
Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs)
- In addition to these Mahotsavs & Festivals, all the Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) also organize various cultural activities and programmes on a regular basis throughout the country for promotion of culture for which annual grant-in-aid is given to them by the Government of India.
- The Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) under ministry of culture as autonomous bodies to protect, preserve & promote various forms of folk art and for creating awareness among people about cultural heritage of our country.
- The Zonal Cultural Centres have been conceptualized with the aim of projecting cultural kinships, which transcend territorial boundaries.
- The idea is to arouse and deepen awareness of local cultures and to show these merge into zonal identities and eventually into the rich diversity of India’s composite culture.
- These centres have already established themselves as a premier agency in the field of promotion, preservation and dissemination of culture in the entire country.
- Apart from promoting performing arts, they are also making a significant contribution in the associated field of literary and visual arts.
- These ZCCs are implementing a number of schemes viz. Award to Young Talented Artistes, Guru Shishya Parampara Scheme, Theatre Rejuvenation Scheme, Research & Documentation Scheme, Shilpgram Scheme, Octave and J&K Festivals and National Cultural Exchange Programme (NCEP) for promotion of cultural development programmes in the country.
- The Seven Zonal Cultural centres established under this objective are: (i) North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala; (ii) Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata; (iii) South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur; (iv) West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur; (v) North Centre Zone Cultural Centre, Allahabad; (vi) North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur and (vii) South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur.
- The participation of various states in more than one Zonal Cultural Centre according to their cultural linkage is a special feature of the composition of vanishing art forms, promotion and safeguarding the folk and tribal arts, theatre rejuvenation, Guru Shishya Parampara, participation in Republic Day Folk Dance Festival (Lok Tarang), Shilpgram and crafts fair.
Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) , Kolkata
- It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India covering the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, registered under West Bengal Society Registration Act of 1961.
- West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha are the single member states.
- However, Assam, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura are under North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur, Bihar is under North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Allahabad and Andaman and Nicobar Island is under South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur.
- The Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) is one of the seven Zonal Cultural Centres established initially at Shantiniketan, West Bengal on the initiative of the then Ministry of HRD, Government of India in 1985. The office of the EZCC shifted from Shantiniketan to Kolkata in the year 1994.
- The Center is totally dedicated to the promotion, projection and dissemination of art, craft and letters.
- The EZCC has organized Rabindra Jayanti, International Day of Yoga, Jagannathpur Mahotsav, Swachhata Pakhwada, 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Workshops on Kathak & Seraikela Chhau Dance, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and Jharkhand Rajya Sthapana Divas during 2018-19.
- The Governor of West Bengal, is the chairman of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and is headed by The Director who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the society.
North Central Zone Cultural Centre(NCZCC), Allahabad(Prayag)
- NCZCC was established as a Society registered under the Societies Registration -1860 in 1986 with its registered office at Allahabad.
- NCZCC covers seven states viz., U.P., Bihar, M.P., Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Delhi. The Governor of U.P. is the Chairman of the Centre.
- The director of the Centre is the chief executive officer of the society. NCZCC has set up a Sub-centre in Delhi, and a Liaison-office in Lucknow.
The North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala
- The North Zone Cultural Center is located in Virsa Vihar Kendra, Patiala. Patiala is the city of gardens and Universities.
- The center comprises regions from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan & Chandigarh (U.T.)
- The Center has been registered under the registration of Societies Act 1860.
- The Governor of Punjab is the Chairman of the centre.
South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur
- It comprises the linguistically different states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- The Centre strives through its various activities to enrich, promote and strengthen these traditions.
- The Centre is working under the control of Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- The Governor of Maharashtra is the Chairman of this Centre
South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
- The South Zone Cultural Centre at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu was established as a Society under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, came into existence in January 1986 with the objective to integrate people of India through Culture, art and heritage
- It comprises of Andra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar islands,, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pudhucherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana.
- The current Chairman of the SZCC is the Governor of Tamil Nadu,
West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur
- West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC) was the first centre to set up the ” Shilpgram – A Craft Village “, in Udaipur.
- There are 31 huts representing architecture, traditional arts and culture depicting the enormous diversity and aesthetic sense of the state of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa which comprise the Western Zone of India.
- Apart from organizing a chain of cultural programs in urban as well as remote rural areas of west zone, “Shilpgram Utsav” is organized in Shilpgram, Udaipur in the last week of December month every year. This 10 days event is watched by half a million people, in which more than 650 artisans, craftsmen and performing artists participate from all over the country.
- The headquarters of the WZCC is located in the historical Bagore-Ki-Haveli which is a huge mansion built in the 18th Century by the Prime Minister of Royal Mewar Dynasty.
- The Haveli has a typical architectural style with exquisite glass inlay work and paintings. After 5 years of strenuous restoration work a Museum has been set up in Bagore Ki Haveli to depict the royal lifestyle, architecture and cultural ethos carefully conserved to its pristine glory.
North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur
- It is in Dimapur in Nagaland state.
- The North East Cultural Zone is one of seven Cultural Zones of India defined and provided with administrative infrastructure by the Government of India
