Lok Sabha Question No. 2423 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-14
Subject: Promotion of Events/Festivals Abroad
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA, MAHEISH GIRRI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2423 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14th DECEMBER 2015

## PROMOTION OF EVENTSIFESTIVALS ABROAD

2423. Shri Bhairon Prasad Mishra and Shri Maheish Girri: Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:
2. (a) whether International Yoga is one of the biggest success India has had till date on International front in terms of cultural perspective; Day
3. (b) whether the Government is planning to diversify all festivalslfolk festivals throughout India and abroad;
4. (c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government in this regard along with the number of festivals/folk festivals organized in various parts of the country and abroad, country-wise, State/UT-wise including Bundelkhand;
5. (d) whether the Government is working upon a cultural exchange programme; and
6. (e) if the details thereof ? SO ,

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) AND MINISTER OF STATE CIVIL AVIATION (Dr. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) Yes Madam. International of Yoga was a grand success. Consequent to the unanimous adoption of Resolution by the United Nations General Assembly to observe 21st June as International of Yoga (IDY), it was celebrated across the world in 193 countries including  India by millions of people. The   Ministry of AYUSH has been awarded with two Guinness World Records on the first International of Yoga for the largest number of participants in a Yoga Lesson at single venue and for most number of nationalities i. e. 84 performing Yoga at a single venue. Day Day Day
- (b) & (c) Yes, the details are as under: -
- The Government of India have set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) having its headquarter at Patiala, Nagpur; Udaipur; Allahabad, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur to preserve, promote the culture including folk dance, music and literature of

different regions\_ and these ZCCs conducts folk festivalsl events in nationall internationals level through its various schemes.

The number of festivall programmes conducted by seven ZCCs StatelUT wise including Bundelkhand is at Annexure-I.

- (i) In addition,  organisations such as Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, National School of Drama also organise cultural events in various parts of India on a regular basis.
- (iii) The Festivals of India abroad (Fol) represents the Government's efforts for spreading  Indian culture abroad and enhancing people to people contact  through dance, performance, food festival, exhibition,  literary festival, film Yoga, Mehandi art etc.  During the year 2014 & 2015 Fols were conductedlare   being conducted in Combodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Thailand, China, South Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Mongolia: Further, the list of cultural festivals  organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, an autonomous body under Ministry of External Affairs in India and
- (d) & (e) Ministry of Culture aims at disseminating Indian culture in new territories and develop the cultural relations between India and various countries of the world through Cultural Exchange Programmes. Each and every year Cultural Exchange Programmes/Programme of Cooperation etc: are signed with other countries. Signing of Cultural Exchange Programmes is a continuous process. India has already signed Cultural Agreements with 126 countries. Presently, Cultural Exchange Programmes with 55 countries are in operation.

## Numbers of festival and programmes conducted by seven Zonal Cultural Centres StateMUT and year wise

| SL: No.   | Name of States[UTs                     | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   | No. of festivals and  Programme   |
|-----------|----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|           | States                                 | 2009-10                           | 2010-11                           | 2011-12                           | 2012-13                           | 2013-14                           | 2014-151                          | 2015-16                           |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                         | 07                                | 08                                | 13                                | 34                                | 12                                | 16                                |                                   |
| 2_        | Arunachal Pradesh                      |                                   | 06                                | 07                                | 09                                | 01                                | 12                                |                                   |
| 3.        | Assam                                  | 34                                | 33                                | 14                                | 31                                | 29                                | 34                                | 06                                |
| 4.        | Bihar                                  | 25                                | 28                                | 21                                | 16                                | 28                                | 14                                | 03                                |
| 5_        | Chhattisgarh                           | 04                                | 12                                | 14                                | 49                                | 05                                | 21                                |                                   |
| 6         | Goa                                    | 12                                | 12                                | 16                                | 14                                | 15                                | 18                                | 02                                |
| 7.        | Gujarat                                | 11                                | 31                                | 14                                | 14                                | 16                                | 30                                |                                   |
| 8         | Haryana_                               | 22                                | 19                                | 23                                | 18                                | 18                                | 24                                | 13                                |
| 9.        | Himachal Pradesh                       | 24                                | 27                                | 17                                | 09                                | 16                                | 26                                | 12                                |
| 10.       | Jammu & Kashmir                        | 11                                | 04                                | 04                                | 11                                | 17                                | 11                                | 08                                |
|           | Jharkhand                              | 07                                | 07                                | 06                                | 4                                 | 06                                | 11                                |                                   |
| 12        | Karnataka                              | 06                                | 09                                | 04                                | 33                                | 17                                | 46                                | 03                                |
| 13_       | Kerala                                 | 14                                | 07                                | 11                                | 06                                | 21                                | 26                                | 03                                |
| 14.       | Madhya Pradesh (including Bundelkhand) | 19                                | 13                                | 40                                | 70                                | 19                                | 56                                | 05                                |
| 15_       | Maharashtra                            | 35                                | 35                                | 54                                | 86                                | 34                                |                                   | 16                                |
| 16        | Manipur                                | 05                                | 06                                | 10                                | 09                                | 10                                | 10                                | 01                                |
| 17.       | Meghalaya                              | 05                                | 08                                | 10                                | 10                                | 06                                | 08                                |                                   |
| 18.       | Mizoram                                | 08                                | 05                                | 10                                | 06                                | 07                                | 10                                |                                   |
| 19        | Nagaland                               | 39                                | 21                                | 18                                | 28                                | 28                                | 32                                | 07                                |
| 20.       | Odisha                                 | 97                                | 58                                | 60                                | 42                                | 53                                | 37                                | 01                                |
| 21_       | Punjab_                                | 41                                | 53                                | 38                                | 30                                | 43                                | 79                                | 50                                |
| 22        | Rajasthan                              | 42                                | 51                                | 107                               | 85                                | 69                                | 120                               | 18                                |
| 23_       | Sikkim                                 | 09                                | 17                                | 07                                | 10                                | 05                                | 12                                |                                   |
| 24.       | Tamil Nadu                             | 45                                | 42                                | 69                                | 71                                | 55                                | 85                                | 24                                |
| 25        | Telangana                              |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   | 01                                |                                   |
| 26.       | Tripura                                | 15                                | 13                                | 12                                | 10                                | 08                                | 29                                | 02                                |
| 27.       | Uttar Pradesh (including_Bundelkhand)  | 92                                | 77                                | 83                                | 68                                | 72                                | 65                                |                                   |
| 28.       | Uttarakhand                            | 10                                | 08                                | 19                                | 11                                | 06                                | 12                                | 14                                |
| 29_       | West Bengal                            | 315                               | 398                               | 398                               | 148                               | 171                               | 55                                | 22                                |
|           | Union Territories                      |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |
| 30.       | Andaman & Nicobar Islands              | 03                                | 04                                | 03                                | 04                                | 06                                | 09                                |                                   |
| 31        | Chandigarh                             | 31                                | 78                                | 46                                | 56                                | 81                                | 64                                | 32                                |
| 32.       | NCT of Delhi                           | 11                                | 13                                | 11                                | 11                                | 08                                | 06                                | 01                                |
| 33        | and Nagar Haveli_                      | 10                                | 12                                | 13                                |                                   |                                   | 13                                | 04                                |
| 34.       | Lakshadweep                            | 01                                | 01                                | 01                                |                                   |                                   | 02                                |                                   |
| 35.       | Pudhucherry                            | 24                                | 14                                | 05                                | 07                                | 13                                | 08                                | 03                                |
|           | Total                                  | 1041                              | 1130                              | 1178                              | 1022                              | 907                               | 1104                              | 260                               |

## INTERNATONAL CULTURAL FESTIVALS ORGANIZEDISUPPORTED BY

|     | Date                      | Events                                                                                   |
|-----|---------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1_  | 22-24 August; 2014        | 5th World Flute Festival at Lotus Temple, New Delhi                                      |
| 2   | 10-12 October, 2014       | Begum Akhtar Centenary celebrations at Azad Bhawan Auditorium, New Delhi                 |
| 3   | 13, 14 & 15 October; 2014 | Kamani Auditorium; New Delhi                                                             |
| 4   | 28,29 & 30 October, 2014  | Auditorium, New Delhi                                                                    |
| 5.  | 28 Oct-11 November; 2014  | Delhi International Arts Festival in New Delhi                                           |
| 6.  | 7-9 November, 2014        | South Asian Band Festival at PuranaQuila, New Delhi (Agency work of SAARC Division; MEA) |
| 7   |                           | 2nd World Percussion Festival in Delhi at Nehru Park, New Delhi                          |
| 8   | 5 1-4 & 22 Dec 2014 Nov,  | Russian Cultural Festival in India at Kamani                                             |
| 9   | 19-20 January, 2015       | Tsnternational Bhakti Festival at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi                           |
| 10  | 10-11 February, 2015      | 5th International Sufi Festivalat FICCI Auditorium New Delhi                             |
| 11. | 23-27 February, 2015      | International Ramayana Mela at FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi & 13 other cities             |
| 12  | 20-22March, 2015          | 5th Delhi International Jazz Festival at Nehru Park,New Delhi                            |
| 13  | 11-13 September; 2015     | 6th World Flute Festival at Lotus Temple, New Delhi                                      |
| 14. | 16-18 October, 2015       | 2nd Tnternational Folk Dance & Music Festival at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi            |
| 15. | 7-9 December, 2015        | 2ndInternational Bhakti Festival at Kamani AuditoriumNew Delhi                           |

## LIST OF GROUPS WHOPARTICIPATEDIN FESTIVALSABROADDURING 2015-16

| S.No.   | Name of the group                                                                                                                                             | State     | Country visited                               | Dates                           | Festival         |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------|
| 1       | Music group led by  Shri Prateek Chaudhuri                                                                                                                    | Delhi     | Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Uzbekistan | 25 March to 09 April, 2015      | Namaste Festival |
|         | 12-member Manipuri group of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy (JNMDA)                                                                                   | Manipur   | Kazakhstan Uzbekistan                         | 01-11 April, 2015               | Namaste Festival |
| 3       | 24-member Kathak group of KADAMB led by Ms: Kumudini Lakhia                                                                                                   | Gujarat   | Russia                                        | 09-13 2015 May,                 | Namaste Russia   |
| 4       | 28-member Bollywood group led by Shri Sanjay Roy                                                                                                              | Delhi     | Russia                                        | 14-18 August; 2015              | Namaste Russia   |
| 5       | 05-member fusion band group "Soulmate" led by Shri Rudolph Wallang                                                                                            | Meghalaya | Russia                                        | 15 - 21 September, 2015         | Namaste Russia   |
|         | 10-member contemporary dance group of Natya STEM Dance Kampani group led by Ms. Madhu Natraj                                                                  | Karnataka | Russia Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan                | 11 21 October, 2015             | Namaste Russia   |
|         | 25-member Composite Folk Dance "Bharat Arts Academy" led by Ms: Mangala Bhatt 12- member Composite Folk Dance "Bharat Folk Arts Academy" led by Mangala Bhatt | Telangana | Russia Georgia                                | 16-19 November; 2015 19-22 2015 | Namaste Russia   |