Lok Sabha Question No. 1496 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-05
Subject: International Kala Mela
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, ANWHAR RAAJHAA, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA, SUDHEER GUPTA, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, P.R. SUNDARAM, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1496 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.03.2018

## INTERNATIONAL KALA MELA

- 1496:  SHRI  BIDYUT  BARAN  MAHATO:  SHRI  ASHOK  SHANKARRAO  CHAVAN: KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH: SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN: SHRI A. ANWHAR RAAJHAA:  SHRIMATI  SUPRIYA  SULE:  SHRI  GAJANAN  KIRTIKAR:  SHRI MOHITE  PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO: SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA: SHRI  SUDHEER  GUPTA:  SHRI  S.R.  VIJAYAKUMAR:    DR.  J.  JAYAVARDHAN: SHRI P.R.  SUNDARAM: SHRI  DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has organised the First International Kala Mela in New Delhi recently;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the aims and objectives thereto;
- (c) the    number    of    artists    from    the  country  along  with  the  number  of  artists  from different  countries  who  have participated in the event;
- (d) the  number  of  stalls  allocated  for  Indian  artists/organisations    including  international representations  in  the  said Mela;
- (e) the  criteria  fixed  by  the Government  for  allotment  of  stalls  for Indian as well as International artists; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to provide global platform   for Indian Art?

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR CULTURE & MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST & CLIMATE CHANGE (Dr. MAHESH SHARMA)

## ANSWER

- (a): Yes Madam, Lalit Kala Akademi an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture has  organized  International  Kala  Mela  at  Indira  Gandhi  National  Centre  for  the  Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi from the 4th to 18 th February, 2018.
- (b): The 1st International Kala Mela provided an open forum to all the creative artists of the country and abroad.

During the Kala Mela different art workshops and activities like Visual Art Film Festival, Pottery/  Pattachitra/  Papier  Mache  workshops,  Best  from  waste  workshop,  Musical performances, Dance & Dramas, Violin making workshop by Sveceny Czechia, Artist Gup Shup  Point,  Nukkad  Natak,  and    Live  International  performances  like  Violin  by  Nuno

Flores, Portugal; "The Troth - Usne Kaha Tha" A Story of Love and sacrifice in World War  I  by  Akademi  of  South  Asian  Dance,  UK;  Violin  by  Jaroslav  Sveceny  Czechia; Yakshagana by Devika Rao, UK; Paino by Nobert Kale, Hungary and Yaa Devi by Devika Dance Theatre, UK were staged for the artists and art lovers.

The central objective of Kala Mela was to focus on direct interaction between the artist and the connoisseur and also educating and raising awareness about art, which is the mandate  of  Lalit  Kala  Akademi.  This  comprehensive  outreach  was  planned  for participation of National, International level Artists/ Art Critics of repute from all over the Globe.

The Mela served as a meeting ground for various styles, Schools of art, works for young and old artists, veterans and novices, rural and urban, sophisticated and rustic.

- (c): More than 1000 artists from India and 70 artists from abroad participated.
- (d): 300 stalls for Indian Artists/ Organizations and 25 stalls for International representatives from China, Czech Republic, Peru, Poland, Mexico and Tunisia.
- (e): The criteria  for  allotment  of  stalls  for Indian as well as International artists consits of the following two categories

(i)  Invitee  Category:-  Organisations  were  directly  invited  by  the  Lalit  Kala  Akademi  to participate in the Kala Mela. Entry fee was not applicable.

(ii) Open Category:- Artists/Organisations sent their duly filled in  forms for participating in the Kala Mela. Entry fee was applicable. With the objective of keeping the spirit of the event, the stalls were allotted to all the artists that applied through the open category.

- (f): The 1st International Kala Mela was the first of its type in the country by promoting the creative endeavors of Indian Artists and bringing their Arts to bear upon a large number of people, thereby playing an important role in defining and redefining, the sensibility of an entire culture, falling under the visual arts spectrum.

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