Indian Culture- A Perspective Preserving the kaleidoscope

The subject of culture and civilisation has been a matter of deep contemplation among different thinkers depending on the experience and insight they have. Different philosophers and thinkers have given varying definitions, however, one of the most accepted definitions of culture, as enunciated by UNESCO, is: "Culture should be recorded as the set of distinct spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs".

Indian culture through time

Traditions of Indian culture are one of the most ancient ones and have been recognised the world over throughout the evolution of human society. There are umpteen references in our Vedas which underline the systematic development of Indian art and culture. 'Samveda', in particular, is related to various aspects of music and is also called 'singing Veda'. There are other Indian scriptures in Sanskrit as well which have supported the promotion of art and culture in the life of human beings. The following two lines amply demonstrate the importance given to the field of art and culture by our ancestors:

"Sahitya sangeet kala viheenah sakshat pashu pucch vishad heen"

(A man having no taste for literature, music and art is as good as an animal sans tail and horn)

The importance of Vedic support can also be understood by the fact that seven notes for composing any music, viz., Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni are acronyms of Saraj, Rishabh, Gandharv, Madhyam, Pancham, Dhaivat, and Nishad, respectively find a reference in Samved. And, as one goes down the history lane one can find a continuum of development of art and culture in all its spectrum from ancient days till the present day. It will be easy if we divide different periods into three distinct phases-

Ancient period

This can be taken as the period from the beginning of known human civilisation to 10th century AD. This was a period during which Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures were composed. The great Indian epic Mahabharat was also composed during this period; Mahabharat period being taken as 500 BC to 200 AD. Another great epic, the Ramayan was also composed during this period which is taken as 400 BC to 200 AD. The great Indian sage Panini composed grammar for literature and Kalidas composed a number of books, e.g., 'Meghdutam', 'Kumar Sambhavam', 'Abhigyan Shakuntalam'. Matang Muni wrote 'Brihdeshi' relating to the principle of music; and, Natya Shastra dealing with theatre art form was composed by Bharatmuni; all during this ancient period.

Medieval Period

This period can be taken from the 11th-18th century. This was a period during which the country faced foreign invasions; firstly, by Muslim rulers and later to be followed by Britishers. During the reign of Mughal rule, the theory, i.e., the classical part of Indian music and literature underwent serious degradation as no support was given by the rulers who preferred the practical parts of music and art. There were some, however, who still took a keen interest in the promotion and propagation of Indian art and culture. These rulers included the likes of Alauddin Khilji, Hussain Sharqi, Akbar and Mohammad Shah (Rangeela). Akbar, in fact, had his famous 'Navaratnas' — Tansen, Naik Baijoo, Raj Bahadur et al. Shahjahan also supported art and culture. Jahangir and Aurangzeb, however, disliked Indian art and culture and, accordingly, during their rule, artists and musicians were not promoted. In some cases, they were even persecuted, particularly by Aurangzeb. During this politically turbulent period, there also emerged a fusion of Persian and Indian music, particularly in the form of Sufi music.

South India, which largely remained unaffected by invasions from foreign forces, could maintain its originality of Indian art and culture, particularly, the Carnatic music. During this period only Jaidev in Bengal wrote 'Geet Govind', Sanrangdev composed 'Sangeet Ratnakar' and Lochan wrote 'Rag Tarangini'.

Modern period

This is the period starting from the 19th century. With the arrival of the British and till the time they became our masters, i.e., before 1857, some of the Britishers were actually impressed by the diversity and value of Indian art and culture. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of British India wrote: "In truth, I love India little more than my own country".

A number of British officers working for East India Company undertook studies in the field of Indian art and culture and got widely associated with native Indians. Sir David Ochterlony who was British resident in the Mughal court of Delhi took pride in being called 'Nasir-ud-Daula' (defender of the State). He in all manners lived like a Mughal ruler and such type of behavioural pattern was seen in a large number of cases all over the territory of the East India Company. It is also important to remember that William Jones and Warren Hastings established the Asiatic Society in Kolkata for the promotion of Indian art and culture.

Things, however, took a complete U-turn after the revolution of 1857. In the changed political set up, the British rulers despised Indian traditions and looked down upon the Indian artists along with the common masses. The Director of East India Company Charles Grant in particular spread this kind of anti-Indian diatribe. This trend continued during the British rule.

There were, however, some outstanding personalities who came out in support of Indian art and culture despite the adverse support being accorded by the British regime. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande became iconic figures to the music fraternity of Indian artists. Down south, the trio of Tyagraj, Shyam Shastri and Subraj Dixit became the torchbearers of the promotion of Indian arts, particularly, music.

After India got its independence, the governments, both at Central and state levels made serious effort to rejuvenate and promote Indian art and culture. In Delhi, Sangeet Natak Academy, Sahitya Academy and Lalit Kala Academy were established to address the field of performing arts, literature and visual arts respectively. A number of universities exclusively serving the cause of art and music were established apart from a specific department for art and music being opened in a majority of universities. A number of autonomous bodies and institutions supported by governmental and in some cases, non-governmental support also came into being.

Nurturing culture

It is important to understand that state support has always been necessary for the promotion of art and culture. In earlier days, it used to be patronised by kings, nawabs and other rulers and in the present form where democratic governance is in place, this kind of support is coming through the state and Central Governments with their attached, subordinate and autonomous organisations. The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has its attached offices in the form of National Archives of India, Archaeological Survey of India and number of subordinate offices, e.g., Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, National Museum, New Delhi, NGMA, National Library, Kolkata and a long chain of autonomous organisations who are working for the promotion, preservation and dissemination of Indian art and culture.

The Zonal Cultural Centres working as autonomous bodies under the Ministry of Culture are turning out to be the vanguard of folk art forms of the country. Since 1985-86, when seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) were established in the country, an enormous amount of effort has gone in to preserve, promote and disseminate the kaleidoscopic folk traditions of our country. This field remained largely neglected for a very long time in the absence of any formal institution to support them. Although some state governments did have folk art academies, not much headway was made towards promoting folk art forms. With the ZCCs appearing on the cultural firmament, a synergetic effort started in which governments at various levels and NGOs are working along with Zonal Cultural Centres for promotion of cultural activities.

These centres provide a very strong infrastructural support for the promotion of various aspects of art and culture which, inter alia, includes dance, music, theatre, literature, visual arts and handicrafts. The centres are well equipped with art galleries, auditoria, libraries and Shilp Haats (craft bazaars). There are regular shows including exhibitions put up by painters, plays and craft fairs providing a unique opportunity for blending three 'Cs' — craft, culture and traditional cuisine. The centres are focusing their main attention towards folk art forms though classical and semi-classical art forms are also being cared for.

Secondly, they are instrumental in the implementation and supervision of Centrally sponsored schemes of the Ministry of Culture to address the needs of various segments of the artists' community. There are tailor-made schemes for the younger artists, senior artists, freelance artists, old and infirm artists as also for cultural institutions. Special attention is being paid to budding artists. 'Guru-Shishya Parampara', 'Theatre rejuvenation' and 'Award to young artist' schemes are providing much-needed succour to marginalised art forms. These centres also have an enormous database on folk art forms, which is being used to classify, document and publish books, monographs, documentary films, etc.

Unity in diversity

It must be understood that if we conceive cultural activities as a sort of 'iceberg', the tip could be taken as classical art forms which are relatively smaller in number but can be seen most prominently. The remaining portion, which is underneath the water and not easily visible could be taken as the arena of the folk art forms which are enormous in diversity and have the potential to move the audience or society for a better social order. It is also important to understand that a society having advanced

cultural activities will ensure a better quality of life to its people; and, it becomes all the more significant for developing countries which are very often strife-torn and crave for better law and order, crime control and a wholesome social order.

The cultural activities invariably unite various segments of society constructively and positively with salutary effect on social arrangements, leading to better law

and order position while also providing a great impetus for effective developmental works.

It has been realised that every region in a state has its own cultural activities in the form of unique folk dances, folk songs, folk paintings or folk theatre which are vibrant and relevant even today for the people living in that region.

Having seen the performances of the folk art forms, I am of the view that they are equally, if not more, enchanting and captivating than the more esoteric classical art forms which cater to a very small fraction of general public i.e., urbane audience. It is also a fact that there is always a mutual give and take between the classical and folk art forms which has taken place right from the beginning and even today this process is on. As a result, the classical art forms are getting acceptability in the general masses also; and, conversely, folk art forms which were earlier criticised for being uncouth, gaudy and jarring are being accepted as enthralling and captivating.

It appears that folk art forms which are truly representative of the diverse Indian art and culture need to be collated and popularised for their recognition and acceptance. The developed countries are zealously preserving and promoting their folk art forms even in the present era of globalisation; and, there appears no reason as to why our own folk art forms should not get the same treatment from one and all. Some of the states have really done very well in this field, e.g., the state of Rajasthan, Goa, Manipur and some others. It must be understood that limited classical art forms though extremely important in their own right are not 'be all and end all' of Indian art and culture; and, the true essence of Indian art and culture can be manifested only by healthy development of all art forms whether classical or folk.

There could be nothing better than various agencies, eg., Department of Culture, Department of Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India, All India Radio and Doordarshan working together with regard to hosting cultural programmes. The country is dotted with invaluable architectural sites, some of which have been declared as world heritage sites. It is possible that these agencies can synergise their efforts to showcase cultural presentations in different regions of the country in the form of cultural festivals for 3-5 days which can also include regional art forms as well as art forms from other states on a cultural exchange basis to provide a realistic look of 'unity in diversity' aspect of Indian culture through stage performances. One can find the commonality of themes, say, Lord Krishna and Radha's sublime love and similar other stories in Manipuri Raas, Mathura's Mayur and Holi dance, Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, Gotipua of Orissa, Bum Rasia of Haryana, Gop and Dandia dance of Gujrat, Dashawtar of Maharashtra, Yakshgan of Karnataka, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Pandwani folk ballad of Chhatisgarh.

It would be desirable that the unique art forms available in the different region of the country are also promoted and showcased so that any foreigner coming to India is not limiting their visit to Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi and Delhi only. They should be adequately motivated to visit any part of the country to see the true and complete essence of Indian art and culture. Thus, promoting folk arts also has the potential to boost tourism activities which will help provide employment to our people and improve the overall economy.

The writer is the Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor of Sikkim. Views expressed are personal