The Hindu : New Delhi News : IGNCA attempts to revive, conserve ancient traditions

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Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
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IGNCA attempts to revive, conserve ancient traditions

P. Anima

NEW DELHI: In its bid to revive, rejuvenate and conserve ancient vocal traditions and visual art, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is now adding new dimensions to its initiatives by undertaking interdisciplinary field surveys and emphasising on capacity-building.

"We are using archives as an action instrument," says IGNCA member-secretary and trustee K. K. Chakravarty.

IGNCA's "Adi Drishya" and "Adi Shravya" concepts aim primarily at salvaging and revitalising vanishing or languishing visual arts and vocal traditions, especially in the areas of indigenous traditions. "Adi Drishya" deals with pre-historic visual art and the new dimension added to it deals with the age-old rock paintings. To enhance its collection of archival material and make effective documentation relating to rock art possible as well as to develop indigenous ability in rock-art dating, IGNCA is now conducting interdisciplinary field surveys across the country.

Rock sites

"India would be having around 100,000 rock art sites which is one of the largest repositories apart from Australia and South Africa. But we depend on foreign experts when it comes to rock dating," said Mr. Chakravarty.

"The interdisciplinary field survey is aimed at changing that. The team comprises geologists, anthropologists, local folklorist, zoologists and botanists," he added.

The team so far has covered rock art sites in Ladakh, part of Central India, parts of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and is now headed for Karnataka. Through audio-visuals and photographs the team not only aims at documenting traditional rock art paintings but also strives to draw the attention of local authorities towards its conservation. "Most of the time when roads are built or a major irrigation project is underway, rock art boulders are moved or destroyed without knowledge," said Mr. Chakravarty.

Reciting traditions

IGNCA's "Adi Shravya" concept looks to preservation of vanishing reciting traditions. As part of its attempts to preserve and revive traditions of recital, IGNCA has now adopted a multi-pronged approach and is concentrating on collaboration with individuals and institutions.

"Now we are concentrating on capacity-building, conserving, digitisation and reviving these traditions of recitals," he said. "Even at the ongoing Saraswati Veena Festival records of old maestros have been collected as well as recordings done with contemporary artists, modules of which will be disseminated later to generate interest." After collecting records, data and pictures relating to the Saraswati Veena tradition, IGNCA plans to move on to Rudra Veena. "We are working with the artistes, recording with them the rare ragas and in a systematic way preserve all these traditions for posterity."

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