DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, Jan 4
Eminent cultural figure, the former cultural Diplomat of India Padma Shri Awardee Balwant Thakur met the Chief Secretary at the civil secretariat and apprised him about his larger cultural concerns. In the absence of a defined cultural policy in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, the entire movement is in shambles. The premier cultural institution of Jammu and Kashmir mandated to preserve and promote the creativity and pure art practices is totally directionless.
Being an autonomous institution, it should run its activities and programmes in a defined manner under the guidance and direction of the top experts representing respective fields of art, performing arts, literature, tribal, ethnic and folk arts. On the contrary whatever aimlessly little is happening is being done at the whims and fancies of an individual who is not having a distant relation with arts practice or art handling. The entire art activity is being handled by the vendors and contractors who are eating up 85 to 90 percent of the budget in the name of tents, chairs, light and sound. Ideally the budget meant for art and culture should be utilised purely and judiciously for the promotion of arts and the artists.
The ethnic, traditional and folk art practices are at the verge of extinction. There is neither any policy nor any initiative for its preservation and promotion.
Great masters of different art forms are totally neglected and there is no policy in place to preserve their legacy by engaging younger generations to learn the dying arts from them. Time is not far when Jammu and Kashmir will be devoid of all the traditional art forms and practices. Instead of reducing this institution to a song and dance company, a major revamping is required so the burning concerns of arts, culture, literature and artists/litterateurs/scholars are addressed in the right earnest. Majority senior artists of J&K who dedicated their entire lives in the service of arts are currently striving for their survival.
During the COVID pandemic, the arts fraternity was the one which suffered the most. In the absence of any sustenance support majority full-time artists shifted to other occupations. This is the high time to come up with new policies and schemes aimed at bringing them back to the practice of art and utilise their priceless wisdom and expertise of ages for the larger welfare and good health of arts and culture in this region. He appealed the worthy Chief Secretary to address the burning cultural issues on priority he shared with him. On the occasion he also presented the Chief Secretary a book on him which was published in Mauritius and was internationally released by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Mauritius.
