Artistes pitch for cultural academy

Jamshedpur, April 15: Artistes, cultural activists and music-lovers have strongly advocated setting up of a state-level sangeet natak academy.

At a rare meeting of all the artistes, they conveyed their feelings to Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) secretary Jayant Kastuar.

The artiste community also agreed to organise a dance festival in the city, for which Kastuar promised all possible support from the SNA. Kastuar also announced that the SNA, on its part, would also organise a full-fledged festival featuring national-level artistes, in the city.

He said the timing of the festival would be announced later.

The meeting, first of its kind, was organised at the behest of Kastuar to bring the artistes community on one platform so that all of them could be involved in organising of the dance festival.

“We want to institutionalise the festival so that it could be made an annual feature,” Kastuar said.

He called upon the music-lovers of the city to join hands to take the initiative. “We are there to support you but the initiative has to come from your side,” he said.

The artiste community aired their problems and grievances before the visiting SNA secretary, who incidentally happens to belong to Jamshedpur.

Other issues like financial assistance for cultural organisations, building of auditoriums among others also came up during the discussion.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070416/asp/jamshedpur/story_7652899.asp