Art and Culture ---2015

Few events that took round the year in the Art and Culture Section---
Let's have a look into some of them---



1. PRASAD Scheme
---- – Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive Pilgrimage Tourism in India:
 The challenges to pilgrimage tourism are lack of infrastructure like budget hotels, roads, last mile connectivity, sewage, hygiene and cleanliness, solid waste management, lack of awareness, developing a code of religious etiquette to be observed by the religious tourists, etc
--- Integrated development of pilgrimage destinations in a planned prioritised and sustainable manner to provide complete religious experience
--- Follow community-based development and pro-poor tourism concept in development of pilgrimage destinations.
--- Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increase in sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area.
--- Promote local arts, culture, handicrafts, cuisine, etc to generate livelihoods in the identified regions
--- Harness tourism potential for its direct and multiplier effects in employment generation and economic development.
--- Enhancing the tourist attractiveness in a sustainable manner by developing world-class infrastructure in the religious destination.

Among the features of the Scheme, it will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme during the 12th five year plan and beyond; A National Steering Committee (NSC) will be constituted with Minister in charge of M/O Tourism as Chairman; Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee responsible for sanctioning of the projects;  and Mission Directorate headed by the Member Secretary, NSC as the nodal officer will help in identification of projects in consultation with the States/ UT governments

12 cities have been included under the PRASAD scheme: -
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), - Gaya(Bihar), - Dwaraka(Gujarat), - Amritsar(Punjab), - Ajmer(Rajasthan), - Kanchipuram(Tamil Nadu), - Vellankani(Tamil Nadu), - Puri(Odisha), - Varanasi(Uttar Prasesh), - Mathura(Uttar Pradesh), - Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and - Kamakhya (Assam)
• A Mission Directorate has been established to implement the PRASAD scheme in the Ministry of Tourism
• Budget provision of INR 15.60 crore has been made in Revised Estimates 2014-2015
• PRASAD scheme aims to create spiritual centres for tourism development within the nation

2. Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana
--- HRIDAY scheme aims at holistic development of the entire city- its planning, its basic services, quality of life to its communities, its economy and livelihoods, cleanliness, security
--- The scheme will help explore the full potential of the rich and diverse natural, historic and cultural resources of India to its full advantage.
--- The project duration is four years from December 2014
Funding will be around Rs 500 crore.
Under this scheme, each city will prepare a definite Heritage plan of its own.
Facilities for women and senior citizens have also been mentioned under this Scheme.
--- • It is a central sector scheme with 100 percent funding coming from Central Government.
--- It is being implemented by Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).
--- Cities will be required to prepare Heritage Management Plan for the city and develop Detailed Project Reports for identified projects for availing assistance under the scheme
--- The scheme will support infrastructure projects which link heritage facilities with trunk infrastructure of the city.
 HRIDAY scheme will focus on development of twelve heritage cities namely; Ajmer, Amravati, Amritsar, Badami , Dwarka , Gaya, Kanchipuram , Mathura Puri , Varanasi , Velankanni , Warangal
 Among the objectives it includes” –Urban Planning; Economic growth and Heritage Conservation.
--Clean and Improved sanitized environment
-- Improved basic urban infrastructure at existing and emerging tourist destinations and gateways;
--Improved sanitation standards at natural and cultural tourist attractions with convenience and safety for visitors
-- Properly conserved, revitalized and beautified heritage monuments
--- . Greater participation by local communities in tourism-related economic and livelihood activities
--Heritage resources are mainstreamed with city systems and city economy.
-- Increase in the inflow of the tourist to cities with increased in the duration of stay of the tourist in the town
--Improvement in social safety
-- Substantial improvement in local economy and quality of life of its communities.

3. Swadesh Darsahn Scheme
---- The Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India has formulated a plan scheme Swadesh Darshan for integrated development of tourist circuits around specific themes.
--- The five circuits identified under this Scheme are Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit and North-East Circuit
--- These circuits/destinations cover major and relevant tourist places and attractions and have a mix of culture, heritage, spiritualism, and Ecotourism to give a holistic perspective of the country.
--- Tourism contributes foreign exchange in a big way to the exchequer of India and it contributes 6.8 percent of the GDP share in India
 A Tourist Circuit is defined as a route on which atleast three major tourist destinations are located such that none of these are in the same town, village or city. At the same time, it would be ensured that they are not separated by a long distance. It should have well defined entry and exit points. A tourist who enters should get motivated to visit all the places identified in the circuit.
 Theme based tourist circuit is a tourist circuit around specific themes, such as religion, culture, ethnicity, niche, etc. It can be confined to a state or could be a regional circuit covering more than a State/Union territory.
-- Objective:
 Integrated development of Infrastructure in identified theme based circuits.
 Provide complete tourism experience with varied thematic circuits
 Follow community-based development and pro-poor tourism approach
 Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increase in sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area
 Promote local arts, culture, handicrafts, cuisine, etc to generate livelihoods in the identified regions
 Harness tourism potential for its direct and multiplier effects in employment generation and economic development.
----The scheme is 100% centrally funded for the project components undertaken for public funding.
---A Mission Directorate headed by the Member Secretary, NSC as a nodal officer will help in identification of projects in consultation with the States/ UTs governments and other stake holders.

Also under the Swadesh Darshan , FIVE circuits have been identified for development—
i. North East Circuit—Mainly Arunachal Pradesh
ii. Buddhist Circuit—Cultural centre in Bodhgaya
iii. Himalayan Circuit
iv. Coastal Circuit—Kakinada, Hope Islands etc
v. And—Krishna Circuit

4. National Culture Fund—
--Was established by the Government of India (Ministry of Culture) as trust under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890, vide notification published in the Gazette of India dated 28th of November, 1996.
 It enables the GOI to mobilize the extra budgetary resources by allowing direct contributions to the NCF account maintained outside the Consolidated Fund of India.
 All contributions to the NCF are given 100% tax exemption under Section 80 G (2) of the Income Tax Act of 1961.
In News because—
The Union Minister for the State of Culture declared the undertaking  of a number of projects through the NCF
Projects included under this initiative:  Restoration, conservation of old ASI monuments, provision of Tourist Amenities at the historical sites; and intangible projects like capacity building of artisans, training programmes, books publications , cultural events
The proposals received under NCF from the state of Kerala includes restoration and conservation of Synagogue Clock Tower, conservation of Sivanarayana temple; Angamalli and the conservation of Koothattukulam Mahadeva temple.

5. Adarsh Smarak Tags—

 The Ministry of Culture has chosen Hampi and 24 other monuments in the country to be granted ‘Adarsha Smaraks’ tag.
 This tag is awarded to the monuments which have highest number of tourists visiting. ASI will provide amenities of international standards
 international standards like washrooms, drinking water, signs, cafeteria, audiovisual centres, Wi-Fi connectivity, interpretation centres and encroachment-free areas around these monuments.
 Virupaksha Temple @ Pattadkal in Karnataka is a temple of Lord Shiva which will be covered in the scheme.
 Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous kings of the Vijayanagara Empire was a major patron of this temple.
 Sun Temple at Konark, Odhisa has been the coveted with Adarsh Monument tag by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
 At present, 25 out of 3,680 protected monuments in India have been selected under the Adarsh Smarak Yojana.
 By awarding this monument Adarsh Monument tag, Central government gives them special attention in order to boost international tourism
 Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are—

 Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal
 Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.
 Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.
Konark SunTemple: It is a 13th century temple of Odisha, built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. It is also known as Black Pagoda. It’s a World Heritage Site. It is considered as architectural marvel for which Odisha, best known worldwide.

January: CULTURE
1. Classical language Status
----The Sahitya Akademi expert committee has mentioned FOUR criteria for a Classical Language
-(i) High antiquity of early texts/recorded history of more than 1500 to 2000 years
(ii) A Body of ancient literature/texts which is considered to be a valuable heritage by generations of speakers
(iii) Literary tradition should be original and not borrowed from any other speech os community
-----Benefits
• Two major International awards for scholars of eminence in Classical language are awarded annually
• A Centre of Excellence of Classical language to be set up
• University Grants Commission can be requested to create---to begin with at least in the Central universities
----a certain number of professional chairs for classical languages for scholars of eminence for the language
----the following SIX languages have been declared Classical till date by the GOI
(a)

2. Science Congress lauds India’s Cultural Feats from ancient India

3. Excavation at Harappan site reveals House Plan
-----The excavation was conducted by the ASI department at the Late Harappan site in Chandayan in Uttar Pradesh has for the first tiem revealed the plan of a house in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, with its mud walls; four successive floors levels and post holes
4. Rock Paintings
-----The rock paintings in the Marayur-Chinnar forests belt of Kerala is the second largest concentration of the cave paintings in South India, and are at a high risk of degeneration
----Over 50 caves, situated in the forest belt are considered to be of ore-historic period


February: CULTURE
1. Currency Building--
-----The Currency Building was built in 1833 for housing the Agra Bank and later, the Government of India occupied large parts of the building for housing and issuing paper currency.
-----Till 1937, the building served as the first office of the Reserve Bank of India. Overlooking the Dalhousie Square in Kolkata, it stands as one of the masterpieces of Italian architecture.
Years of neglect: Despite the rich archaeological and historical significance, the building suffered years of neglect. The ASI plans to make the renovated building into a museum for rare archaeological sculptures

2. Rural India exploring
----The Union Ministry of Tourism had launched the ‘Explore Rural India’ sub-brand in 2008 under its ‘Incredible India’ campaign aimed at extending the stay of tourists and providing livelihood opportunities to the local villagers.
----The idea is to help tourists by exploring village life by getting involved in routine rural activities and see first-hand the skills of the local people.
----Also ‘counter urbanization’ and growing interests in the heritage, culture and environmental consciousness have helped in the growth of rural tourism.
----The Alankuppam village in Puducherry, close to Auroville, was among the places identified in 2011 by the Union Ministry of Tourism with potential for rural tourism, for its expertise in crafts
----With the tie-up of the Puducherry government and the IlleetVilaine (Brittany region, France)

3. VANAJ 2015
----The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is organising a weeklong First National Tribal Festival, ‘Vanaj 2015, which has a host of activities lined up to showcase the culture of tribal people from across the country.

4. Sacred Grooves
----Sacred Groves are patches of natural or near- natural vegetation, dedicated by local communities to their ancestral spirits or deities
----The states particularly, rich in abundance of groves are Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Tamil nadu
----The Installed grooves include
•Kaava- Kerala,
• MawBukhar-Meghalaya,
• Umanglai-Manipur,
• Oran-Rajasthan,
• Rajbangsi-West Bengal (The Rajbanshis are from Vaishnav community and worships Lord Krishna. They have great respect for Bamboo, as the flute of Lord Krishna is also made-up  of bamboo, that’s why the Rajbanshi sacred groves have bamboo trees. Bowl folk songs, explains the importance of bamboo in human life)
• Sarna-Chhattisgarh, (It is the religious centre of the community within the village ecosystem, where the village deity resides)
• KovilKadu-Tamil Nadu,
• Devarai-Maharashtra.
----Need for such preservation---The industrialization and globalization affected biodiversity and natural resources to great extent; hence in a view of the adverse effects of biodiversity degradation, conservation of biodiversity is an issue of global significance

5. BHARAT KE RANG
----‘Bharat ke rang’, a programme of cultural performances of Northeastern
states in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. Artists from Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya performed folk and tribal dances in this programme.

6. Jallikatu

1. Ministry of Culture takes over the management of Lalit Kala Academy--

The government has taken over the management control of Lalit Kala Akademi, an autonomous organisation of the Culture Ministry, following several complaints regarding alleged administrative and financial irregularities in its functioning.
Reason for the acquisition—
 Ministry of Culture had been receiving complaints regarding alleged administrative and financial irregularities in Lalit Kala Akademi.
 Akademi’s General Council and Executive Board are also non-functional since 2013 due to certain court cases
 Akademi’s principal executive officer i.e., the Secretary is currently under suspension with departmental inquiry proceeding having been ordered against him by the Akademi’s Chairman.
----Due to the above mentioned factors, and keeping in view the Akademi’s beleaguered administration and the substantial public interest involved in the Akademi’s vibrant and transparent functioning, the Central government has taken over the management control of Lalit Kala Academy.
About Lalit Kala Academy—
 The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India’s National Academy of Fine Arts
 It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country.
 It does so through providing scholarships, a fellow program, and sponsoring and organizing numerous exhibitions in India and overseas.
 Funded by the Union Ministry of Culture.
Source: PIB

1. Temple Reconstruction of the Kannagi temple possible—

The Dept Of Archaeology, Kerala, has said that Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple can be renovated but a sketch or portrait of the original temple is required to restore it to its original shape.
 The temple was constructed 1800 years ago, but most of it is now in dilapidated condition.
 The only evidence for the temple is found in the Tamil Literature Silpadikaram
 Since the temple falls geographically within the Periyar Tiger Reserve, hence prior permission is required from the Supreme Court--Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and National Board for Wild Life is essential before undertaking renovation work.
About Kannagi---Kannagi is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram (100-300 CE). The story relates how she took revenge on Pandyan King of Madurai, for a mistaken death penalty imposed on her husband Kovalan, by cursing the city. One of the Stree Shakti Puraskars (women power Award) has been named after her.

6. Creation of Jamini Roy
Section: Art and Culture of India—
---Early modernists of the 20th century art. Name of the exhibition featured in Mumbai--‘Jamini Roy (1887 – 1972): Journey to the Roots’,
---He was among the significant Indian artists who feature among the visual style that was both modern in its sensibilities and resolutely Indian.
---Trained in European naturalism; he adopted simplification of forms and themes of local folk paintings
---Rendered images from the Ramayana and the Krishna Lila. He painted ordinary men and women from the village, reinventing popular images from the Patua’s repertoire (patachitra)
---He restricted his palette only to seven colors--Indian red, yellow ochre, cadmium green, vermillion, grey, blue and white. These were mostly earthy or mineral colours.
---The Santhals, the tribal people who live in the rural districts of Bengal, were an important subject for Roy.
---A series of work done before the WW2is a prime example of how he captured the qualities that are a part of native folk painting and combined them with those of his own.
---He fused minimal brush paintings with of the Kalighat style with elements of tribal art from Bengal (like that of the terracotta work found in the Bishnupur temple, where terracotta was often composed into elaborate, decorative units over portals and across exterior walls of the temples).

7. Buddhist Circuits—
--3 Buddhist circuits identified by the Ministry of Tourism
Three Buddhist Circuits have been identified by the Ministry of Tourism in the country to be developed with the help of Central Government/State Government/Private Stake Holders. These include the following:-

Circuit 1: The Dharmayatra or the Sacred Circuit
This will be a 5 to 7 days circuit and will include visits to Gaya (Bodhgaya), Varanasi (Sarnath), Kushinagar, Piparva (Kapilvastu) with a day trip to Lumbini in Nepal.

Circuit 2: Extended Dharmayatra or Extended Sacred Circuit or Retracing Buddha’s Footsteps
This will be a 10 to 15 day circuit and will include visits to Bodhgaya (Nalanda, Rajgir, Barabar caves, Pragbodhi Hill, Gaya), Patna (Vaishali, Lauriya Nandangarh, Lauriya Areraj, Kesariya, Patna Museum), Varanasi (Sarnath), Kushinagar, Piparva (Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Sankisa) with a day trip to Lumbini in Nepal

Buddhist Heritage Trails (State Circuits) 
i. Jammu and Kashmir - Ladakh, Srinagar (Harwan, Parihaspora) and Jammu (Ambaran).
ii. Himachal Pradesh - Dharamshala, Spiti, Kinnaur and Lahaul.
iii. Punjab - Sanghon.
iv. Haryana – Jind (Assan), Yamunanagar(Sugh).
v. Maharashtra -Aurangabad (Ajanta, Ellora, Pithalkora Caves), Pune (Karla Caves), Mumbai (Kanheri Caves), Pune (Bhaja Caves) and Nashik (Pandavleni Caves).
vi. Andhra Pradesh - Amravati, Nagarjunakonda, Vizag (Borra Caves, Salihundum Caves).
vii. Madhya Pradesh - Sanchi, Satdhara, Andher, Sonari, Murulkurd.
viii. Odisha (Dhauli, Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, Udaygiri, Langudi, Khandagiri).
ix. Chhattisgarh – Sirpur.
x. West Bengal - Kolkata (Indian Museum)
xi. Sikkim - Rumtek, Enchay and other Monasteries.
xii. Arunachal Pradesh –Tawang and Bomdila.

--the above information was provided by the Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge), & Civil Aviation

8. Humayun's Tomb--
---

 UNESCO World heritage site-- which has ~150 graves of the ruling family and hence also known as the NECROPOLIS of the Mughal Age.
 Financer—(Haji) Bega Begum (Humayun’s widow and Akbar’s step mother)
 Architect--Mirak Mirza
 Time: 14 years after Humayun’s death. (~1570)
 Material: red sandstone + marble borders ⇒ Humayun’s tomb is prime example of Mughal Architecture. Mughal Architecture was inspired from Persian Architecture.


2. New Book of Frederick M Asher---Nalanda: Situating the Great Monastery”
Makes the following claims about Nalanda—
 One of the monks in Nalanda kept written record, but We get some glimpse from seventh-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang but continuity missing.
 Ashoka did not worship at Nalanda. Buddhist philosophy Nagarjuna did not live here (2nd or 3rd century).
 5th Century AD: Gupta kings gave royal patronage
 It was not big enough to hold even 3000 residents.
 No evidence that Nalanda taught  logic, grammar and literature, medicine, the arts and metaphysics etc. things.—Thus Nalanda was not a ‘university’ but just a religious teaching centre. Even the ancient texts call it “great monastery” (Mahavihara) and not “great school”
 No evidence that it attracted students from other parts of Asia.