Folk And Tribal Cultural Centre

Folk and Tribal Cultural Centre plays a vital role in the development and the
upliftment of our cultural tradition. The Centre came into existence in
December 1994. The Centre, which is an autonomous, non-profitable
organisation under the aegis of the Government of West Bengal, has
engaged itself in a relentless pursuit to create a disciplined perspective
where coordination between the folk artists and folk-researchers may be
achieved. Activities of the Centre in a nutshell, are given here.
The Centre has a vast and extensive publications on the different
aspects of folk and tribal culture. Apart from the publication of research,
lectures and dissertation oriented books, every year few types of grants are
provided from the Centre in the form of (a) one time grant to the old and
distressed folk artistes, (b) one time grant to the folk organisations, (c) one
time grant for medical treatment to the poor artistes, (d) grant per month for
two years to the child artists for their education etc.
The Centre also handed over 'Sudhi Pradhan Smarak Puraskar'
every year to young, talented and promising folk artistes below the age of
40 years. The Centre also gives 'Lalon Puraskar' and 'Thakur Panchan
Burma Award' every year. Other than this, the Centre regularly organises
its Annual Festival at Chhit Kalikapur, Lalon Utsav, Folk Drama Festival,
Hul Divas celebration etc.

Folk Entertainment Section

In accordance with the demand the artists and performers of the Folk
Entertainment Section have been engaged in the propagation and
dissemination of various policies and programmes of the government
throughout the year in almost all the districts of the state as well as in
outside-states.

Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi

Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, under the aegis of the Department of
Information and Cultural Affairs, was set up in the year 1986 with the
objective of promoting the study of different aspects of Bengali language
and literature and encouraging research on Bengali script, language,
literature and culture. Eminent writer and scholar Annadashankar Ray
became the first president of the Akademi and served the institution untill
his demise in 2002. The activities of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
revolves around organising memorial lectures, seminars and symposiums
as well as conferring literary awards and bringing out publications on
Bengali language and literature. It also preserves invaluable manuscripts,
audio visual records and literary documents, pertaining to Bengali language
and literature. It also runs three auditoria namely Akademi Sabhaghar,
Jibanananda Sabhaghar and Rabindra-Okakura Sabhagriha with a view to
promote Bengali culture and literature.
The Akademi has been instrumental in undertaking research in the field of
Bengali language and literature, and brings out complete works of
litterateurs such as Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore
and Kazi Nazrul Islam besides others. The Akademi is expected to publish
a quadra- lingual (Bengali-Hindi-Urdu-English) lexicon and an annotated
edition of the Mahabharata in Bengali shortly. The Rabindra-Okakura
Bhavan, the second campus of the Akademi (27 A/1 D D Block,
Bidhannagar), is a centre for bringing India and Japan closer through
cultural exchange. Besides organising cultural soirees, it offers courses on
Japanese language, and organises seminars and memorial lectures on
regular basis. The Akademi Library is a rich treasure trove of nearly thirty
thousand books (both in Bengali & English) on Bengali language, literature
and culture.

Paschimbanga Tele Academy

The academy was set up in the year 2012 under the aegis of the
Department of Information & Cultural Affairs with the objective of promoting
the television industry. The academy has been allotted by the State Govt. a
plot of land measuring 10 acres at Baruipur, South 24 Paraganas for
construction of shooting floors and other infrastructural facilities. Again,
many actors, technicians and other workers of this industry have been
brought under a health insurance scheme sponsored by the State Govt. So
far, about 5000 families have been included in this scheme. Apart from this,
every year, the academy organizes the programme Tele Samman' in which
actors, directors, producers, technicians etc. of this industry are felicitated.
The award giving ceremony is followed by a spectacular cultural
programme presented by the television artists.

Paschimbanga Natya Akademi

Paschimbanga Natya Akademi was founded on September 26, 1987, as

an organisation under the state department of information and cultural
affairs to develop and showcase theatre from Bengal.It regularly organises
different workshops, Memorial Lectures etc. The Natya Mela was organised
in Kolkata, Howrah and other places. Every year all forms of drama were
performed by different groups from all over the state. The Akademi also
conserves famous plays and interviews with different theatre personalities.
Recently these have been transformed in to CDs from Video Cassettes.

Rajya Charukala Parshad

Since its inception Rajya Charukala Parshad has been functioning in

pursuit of excellence in different spheres of creative art. The parshad has
been able to reach both to rural and urban folk. The parshad works
relentlessly for improvement of arts with active co-operation of artists and
art-critics alike. Rajya Charukala Utsav is organized regularly at Rabindra
Sadan - Nandan Complex and also at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarsasala.
Renowned artists, groups from all over the State participate in this Utsav.
Parshad also conferred Abanindra Award every year and organises
different workshops and courses.
Financial assistance is given to the promising artists, economically
backward senior ones and art organisations every year. Paintings of
renowned artists have been rejuvenated for their proper preservation.
Paschimbanga Rajya Sangeet Academy

As desired by our Hon'ble Chief Minister, the academy building was

thoroughly renovated and landscaping was done in the front space. The
academy is organizing workshops and training programmes (of different
duration) on classical/light classical music, dance etc. In the district and
sub-divisional level, these activities have gained considerable appreciation
from the general public. One of the main focus of these activities has been
"young talent hunt" from all over the State. In Kolkata, the Rajya Sangeet
Academy organizes Uday Sankar Dance Festival, Classical Music
Conference, Dance-Drama Festival etc. Eminent artists from all over India
and sometimes from abroad, participate in these programmes, making
these very popular. In the archive of Rajya Sangeet Academy, there is a
huge collection of rare gramophones, records, spools, audio cassettes,
CDs, VHS etc. Steps have been taken to modernize the archive through
digitalization.
Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy

Rajbanshi Bhasa (language) happens to be the mother tongue of a large

number of people living in the northern part of North Bengal. In 2011, the
present Government constituted the Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy for
preservation and promotion of Rajbanshi Bhasa and Culture. The office of
the academy has been set up in Victor Palace, Coochbehar. The academy
has taken up many activities like organizing workshops and seminar on
Rajbanshi Bhasa, regular publication of "Voga" - the academy magazine
etc. Additionally, the academy regularly commemorates birth anniversaries
of eminent people (like Thakur Panchanan Barma) who have made
significant contribution to the promotion of Rajbanshi Bhasa, during their
lifetime. Every year, on 28th October, the "Rajbanshi Bhasa Sammanana
Divas" is observed by the academy.

Paschimbanga Jatra Academy

The West Bengal Jatra Festival is gradually gaining remarkable successes

year by year with laudable enthusiasm and participation on the part of the
honourable members of the Academy. This year the said Utsav was
inaugurated at Kachhari Maidan, Barasat by Hon'ble Chief Minister with the
participation of a large number of people. The other venue of Jatra Utsav
was Phanibhusan Vidyavinod Jatra Mancha which has been thoroughly
renovated in 2012-13. Thus the scale of Jatra Utsav was expanded to a
great extent.

Shisu Kishore Akademi

Shisu Kishore Akademi has been established for the benefit of juveniles.
Every year Shisu-Kishore Utsav is organised by the Akademi is attended
with great enthusiasm by children. The Akademi also organises the
International Children Film Festival every year. Apart from these the
Akademi publishes different books on world children literature.The
Akademi also organises different workshops time to time.

Major Auditoria

To ensure peoples' participation in various cultural activities the State

Government laid adequate stress in expanding the network of theatre and
auditoria both in Kolkata and districts. The historic Mahajati Sadan,
Rabindra Sadan and Calcutta University Institute Hall occupy a place of
pride in the State's cultural map. There are 33 (thirty three) Rabindra
Bhavans in districts. Dinabandhu Mancha in Siliguri remains one of the
finest auditoria in the State. It also has 7 (seven) standard auditoria in the
metropolis.

Rabindra Sadan
Rabindra Sadan is the most important auditorium of the Government. It is
located at the heart of the city with easy accessible and frequent means of
communication. With 734 seats on the ground floor and 367 seats on the
balcony, it has a total seating capacity of 1101. The foundation stone was
laid in 1961 by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the
hall was opened to the public in the year 1966. The splendid structure of
Rabindra Sadan covers about 12, 000 sq.ft.
The Rabindra Sadan-Nandan complex is the cultural edifice of the
metropolis. People frequent cultural programmes at Rabindra Sadan and
Sisir Mancha, attend a session of poetry-reading at Bangla Akademi or visit
to an exhibition of painting at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshashala or
experience a film show at Nandan. Or they simply wind down, chatting,
savouring the best in the world of art and culture, relaxing in the salubrious
ambience. This picture of serene enjoyment is an eloquent testimony to the
prevailing atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.

Sisir Mancha

It was established in 1978 with a capacity of around 400 seats. This theater
was named after Sisir Bhaduri, the legendary actor and director of Bengal.
The State Government patronizes several cultural programs of diverse
tastes, which are held on this Mancha. In addition, it also hosts the group-
theatre shows.

Madhusudan Mancha

Madhusudan Mancha adjacent to Dakshinapan Shopping Complex has a

sitting capacity of 846.It is generally rented out to various organizations for
their cultural programmes/seminars etc.

Girish Mancha

Girish Mancha, established in 1986, in north Kolkata with a sitting capacity

of 910 is generally rented out to various organizations for their cultural
programmes/seminars etc. on the basis of their prior application. Apart from
this the Mancha and I & C A department jointly organise a couple of
programmes.

Mahajati Sadan
Its foundation stone was laid by Kavi Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore in 1939.
Mahajati Sadan is a part of the glorious freedom movement. The names of
Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Dr. Bidhan
Chandra Ray are associated with it. The auditorium with a sitting capacity
of 1309 and the seminar hall with a sitting capacity of 160 are generally
rented out to various organizations for cultural programmes, seminars,
meetings etc.

Calcutta University Institute Hall

Since taken over by the Government of West Bengal in 1985, the

committee for management and control of the auditorium comprising 10
members was formed by the Government. The auditorium is generally
rented out to various organizations. Its seating capacity is 910.

Dinabandhu Mancha, Siliguri

The state owned information centre and auditorium with a sitting capacity of
913 was established in memory of noted dramatist Dinabandhu Mitra. The
auditorium is generally rented to different cultural organizations of north
Bengal for their cultural programmes, seminars, meetings etc.

Minerva Natya Sanskriti Charcha Kendra

After taking over of the Minerva Auditorium by Government of West Bengal,

it has been renamed as Minerva Natya Sanaskriti Charcha Kendra. The
auditorium is usually rented to the various organization for their cultural
events. At the same time a repository has also been constituted to create a
center of excellence on historic art.

Awards

Patronizing the rich heritage of culture is a priority of the State Government

21 awards, namely, Rabindra Smriti Puraskar (3 categories), Nazrul Smriti
Puraskar, Bankim Smriti Puraskar, Vidyasagar Smriti Puraskar (2
categories), Girish Puraskar, Dinabandhu Puraskar, Abanindra Puraskar,
Ramkinkar Baiz Puraskar, Binod Behari Puraskar, Allauddin Puraskar,
Uday Sankar Puraskar, Girija Sankar Puraskar, Jnan Prakash Ghosh
Puraskar, Thakur Panchanan Barma Puraskar, Pandit Raghunath Murmu
Puraskar, Sudhi Pradhan Puraskar, Lalan Puraskar and Bina Dasgupta
Puraskar were conferred upon exponents on respective fields.

These besides, Sangeet Mahasamman, Sangeet Samman,

Mahanayak Sammanana, Shilpi Mahasamman, Silpi Samman, Life-time
Achievement Shilpa Aitihasik Kala Samalochak Awards, Shanti Gopal &
Tapan Kumar Puraskar and Tele Academy Award have also been instituted
in the arenas of fine arts and Jatra.

But the highest in this order are Bangabibhusan and Bangabhusan

awards, which are conferred for outstanding contribution to the fields of art,
culture and sports.

Finally, as part of the various initiatives of the Hon'ble Chief Minister Smt.
Mamata Banerjee to put Bengal in the world map through its rich heritage,
natural products and creative works which had been adored through
centuries, Biswa Bangla has been approved by the Government of West
Bengal as the brand for all handicrafts, handloom and other MSME
products of West Bengal. The West Bengal.State Export Promotion Society
(WBSEPS) has been notified as the owner of the Biswa Bangla brand till
the finalization and setting up of the Biswa Bangla Corporation and
entrusted to take up the necessary actions to start the process for
implementation of programme. The Biswa Bangla outlets will prove to be
an ideal space for proper showcasing and marketing for handicrafts and
handloom products. The West Bengal State Export Promotion Society
(WBSEPS) proposed the setting up of 5 Biswa Bangla outlets as a
Greenfield or by converting existing showrooms/outlets of state govt.
corporations/agencies in different parts of West Bengal and India.

LITERATURE
Bengali, which is the dominant language of West Bengal, has a very deep
heritage, and is one of the most profound and intricate languages ever
formulated. It takes years to get a proper grip on the language itself, and
even then, you might just end up knowing just a few drops of the vast
ocean that is the Bengali language, Since childhood, Bengalis are flooded
with literary works such as Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Thakumar Jhuli and
other works, which start off a wonderful tryst with the language at a very
tender age. And West Bengal has been home to many great literary
maestros such as Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Kazi Nazrul Islam, Michael Madhusudan Dutta and Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay. Playing with the Bengali language has even resulted in
many social reforms from colonial times to the present day, starting from
the work of Swami Vivekananda and Raja Rammohan Ray, and they were
among the many stalwarts who ushered in the Bengal Renaissance. The
later parts of the 20th Century saw the influx of post-modernist thoughts in
Bengali literary work, with the arrival of writers such as Manik
Bandopadhyay, Mahasweta Devi, Jibanananda Das and Samaresh
Majumdar among many.

THEATRE AND FILMS

West Bengal's tryst with films is also a long one, and has seen the rise of
many globally acclaimed filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, who won the
Academy Award for his various pivotal works, and other directors such as
Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen. The Tollygunj sector of
Kolkata is known as Tollywood, where most of the major film studios of the
state are situated, and is one of the busiest centres of business all year
around. Modem day filmmakers include Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Aparna
Sen, and the late director Rituparno Ghosh, whose works are shown in
theatres all around the world.

MUSIC AND DANCE

When it comes to music, West Bengal is the birthplace of Rabindra
Sangeet, which is a style of music which was hugely popularised by late
poet and lyricist Rabindranath Tagore, who even won a Nobel Prize for his
vast contributions to the literary universe which prevails in India. But what
really sets West Bengal apart from other places is its huge plethora of folk
music and dance styles, which are specific to various regions in the state.
Take for example, the Baul music culture, which can be found in various
parts of Birbhum district, where Baul fakirs go around, singing with
minimalistic instruments, songs about nature and other topics. Then there
is the Kirtan or Gajan music style, practiced in almost every household
now, and when it comes to dance, the Chau dance style of Purulia is a
must-watch, where performers wear colourful masks and follow various age
old traditions and rituals as they dance.

ART
When it comes to art, Bengal has its own unique style of painting and
sculpture, which originated during the colonial occupation of the country,
and the roots of this origination lies in Kolkata and Shantiniketan. This art
style or movement as it is often termed as was a result of the Swadeshi
movement, which was pioneered by Rabindranath Tagore, but later on,
many other artists came and went, each adding their own unique style to
the vast world of Bengali art and painting. This includes the works and
styles of various notable luminaries such as Kalipada Ghosal, Nandalal
Bose, Jamini Roy and Ramkinkar Baij.

FESTIVALS

If you have to know about the culture of West Bengal, then a mention of
Durga Puja has to be made at some point, as this is the biggest religious
festival in the state and takes place over a span of one week. And this
festival is so important and so much looked forward to, that the entire state
goes into holiday mode for almost a whole month. But apart from Durga
 Puja, there are a host of other festivals and events as well, such as the
Poush Mela, Eid, Dolyatra - or the festival of colours, Nabanna, Buddha
Purnima and Poila Boisakh, which is the Bengali New Year.
Last updated on: Sun, 10 Jul 2016
Information Source: Department of Information & Cultural Affairs(I&CA), Government of West
Bengal

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