IGNCA to commence specialised courses on culture

As part of the Centre's 'Skill India Mission', Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts plans to commence specialised courses on culture such as Museumology and Cultural Management.
The New Delhi-based institution is also in talks with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to introduce culture as an elective subject for higher classes in a bid to provide skilled manpower for efficient handling of various components of culture.
"IGNCA has the knowledge and resources to start some specialised courses on culture independently or in collaboration with universities. The courses could range from cultural informatics, management and conservation techniques to art appreciation," IGNCA Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said during a media interaction here.

Joshi said IGNCA may commence diploma courses on its own from next academic session, but for degrees and other levels like certificate, Post Graduate, M Phil and Ph D, it needs to collaborate with universities or prominent institutions.
IGNCA, whose board was recently reconstituted, would also ink a pact with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for being a knowledge and skill partner for various courses related to culture, he said.
Joshi said the centre would start 'Sanskriti Samvad Srinkhala' (Cultural Dialogue Series) consisting of dialogues on various topics related to arts, culture, philosophy and life style, among others.

The official said the first programme of the series would start on July 28 to commemorate completion of 90 years of Naamvir Singh, an eminent litterateur.

Besides, INGCA would also strengthen its regional centres at Varanasi and Guwahati. It is also planning to set up regional centres at Srinagar, Ranchi, Vadodara, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram and Puducherry to ensure a nationwide presence, he said.
The recently reconstituted IGNCA Trust has also constituted a five-member 'Vision Committee' to draft the vision for the body to increase its outreach in the coming years.
Meanwhile, IGNCA chief Ram Bahadur Rai, who stoked a controversy with his remarks on Dr B R Ambedkar's role in framing the Constitution in an interview to a weekly magazine, said that he did not give any such interview.

"An interview was neither sought nor given," he said.
Recently, Rai was quoted as saying in an interview to Outlook magazine that Ambedkar's role in framing of the Constitution was a "myth". His comments had attracted criticism from various quarters.