Lok Sabha Question No. 928 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-02
Subject: Indian Conservation Fellowship Programme
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Smt. Shambhavi, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 928

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.12.2024

## INDIAN CONSERVATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME (ICFP)

928. DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE: SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE: SMT. SHAMBHAVI:

- a) whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  measures  for  the  promotion  of  cultural tradition and literature in the rural and traditional areas, if so, the details thereof;
- b) the details of the Indian Conservation Fellowship Programme (ICFP);
- c) the  details  of  the  linguistic  and  cultural  significance  of  each  of  the  languages,  now recognized as Classical; and
- d) the  details  of  the  specific  measures  being  taken  to  ensure  the  documentation  and digitization of ancient texts in these languages?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE & TOURISM (GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- a)   The Government of India actively promotes Indian culture and literature across the country.

The Ministry of Culture, through its autonomous bodies has undertaken various measures for the promotion of cultural tradition and literature in the rural and traditional areas which are given as follows:

Sahitya  Akademi  (SA)  plays  a  vital  role  in  fostering  Indian  literature  in  24  recognized languages.

In  addition  to  its  regular  programs  and  publications,  SA  has  initiated  several  projects  and schemes to enhance literary awareness and talent, particularly in rural and traditional areas. Notable among these are the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat and Gramalok series.

Indira  Gandhi  National  Centre  for  the  Arts  (IGNCA)  focuses  on  cultural  preservation  and documentation, promotion of regional languages, promotion of performing arts and development of traditional art forms.

Centre  for  Cultural  Resources  and  Training  (CCRT)  implements  the  scholarships  and fellowship scheme like Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme, Scheme for 'Award of Scholarships to Young Artists (SYA) in different cultural fields', fellowship scheme for the award  of  fellowships  to  outstanding  persons  in  the  field  of  culture  for  the  promotion  of cultural tradition and literature in the rural and traditional areas.

- b)   The Indian Conservation Fellowship Pilot Program (ICFPP) was undertaken by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) in New York and the  Stichting  Restauratie  Atelier  Limbuirg  (SRAL),  the  Netherlands.  A  Memorandum  of Agreement (MoA) was signed between Ministry of Culture, Government of India  and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA), New York on 19.03.2013 for a period of two years.

Thereafter,  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU)  between  Ministry  of  Culture  and Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA), New York was signed on 27.06.2016 for launching of the Indian Conservation Fellowship Program (ICFP) for a period from 2016 to 2021 and was to be undertaken by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of  Art  (MMA),  New  York,  the  Stichting  Restauratie  Atelier  Limbuirg  (SRAL),  the Netherlands, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Brussels ('KIK-IRPA'), and the Freer Gallery  of  Art  and  Arthur  M.  Sackler  Gallery,  The  Smithsonian  Museums  of  Asian  Art, Washington, DC ('FG') with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (the 'Mellon Foundation').

The  aim  of  this  fellowship  was  to  equip  the  participants  with  skills  to  better  care  for collections  at  their  home  institutions  and  to  establish  a  larger  and  stronger  conservation community  in  India  with  international  links  to  professionals  in  the  field.  So  far,  36 conservators from India have received fellowship under ICFP (17 conservators during Pilot Program and 19 conservators during Main Program).

- c)   The Government of India has recognized the following 11 languages as Classical Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali. Each of these languages has a history spanning at least 1500 years, representing a rich cultural and literary heritage. They reflect the uniqueness of their respective communities and regions. These languages encompass a vast corpus of ancient literature and texts,  regarded as invaluable heritage by generations of speakers. They include knowledge texts, particularly prose, alongside poetry, epigraphical, and inscriptional evidence, showcasing their historical and cultural significance.
- d)   Indira  Gandhi  National  Centre  for  the  Arts  (IGNCA)  has  created  Digital  Archives  for regional  languages,  traditional  art  forms,  and  performing  arts.  Digital  Museums  have  been created for showcasing regional art and culture, and various activities are carried out through National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) of Cultural Informatics Lab (CIL) Division of the IGNCA. National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) under Ministry of Culture is also engaged in documentation and digitization of ancient texts in these languages.

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