GS Notes- Cultural institutions of India

In this post we are sharing list of cultural institutions of India which are very important for exam purpose.

1. The Lalit Kala Akademi ( National Academy of Fine Arts)

• The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and outside the country.

• LKA provides scholarships and a fellow program, and sponsors and organises exhibitions in India and overseas. It publishes a bilingual journal. It is funded by the Union Ministry of Culture. Its headquarters are at Ravindra Bhawan, Ferozshah Road, New Delhi. In April 2015, Government of India took over management control of Lalit Kala Akademi citing complaints regarding alleged administrative and financial irregularities in its functioning.
• Present Chairman- Shri Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty

2. Sangeet Natak Akademi ( or The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama)

• Sangeet Natak Akademi ( or The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
• It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and became functional the following year, with the appointment of its first chairman, Dr. P. V. Rajamannar.
• Present Chairmen- Shekhar Sen
• Headquarters Rabindra Bhawan, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi, India

3. Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters

• The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government and situated at Rabindra Bhavan near Mandi House in Delhi.
• The Sahitya Akademi organises national and regional workshops and seminars; provides research and travel grants to authors; publishes books and journals, including the Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature; and presents the annual Sahitya Akademi Award of Rs. 100,000 (approx. USD 1,500 (as in year 2013)) in each of the 24 languages it supports, as well as the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement.
• The current President of the Sahitya Akademi is Dr. Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari.

4. Archaeological Survey of India

• The Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency attached to the Ministry of Culture that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General.
• Current Director General- Rakesh Tewari
• Headquarters- Janpath, New Delhi

5. National School of Drama

• National School of Drama ( NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975
• Present Director-Waman Kendre was appointed as Director the school in 2013.

6. National Archives of India

• Originally established as the Imperial Record Department in 1891, in Calcutta.The National Archives of India is the repository of the non-current records of the Government of India and is holding them in trust for the use of administrators and scholars. It is an Attached Office of the Ministry of Culture.

7. Asiatic Society

• The Asiatic Society was founded by civil servant Sir William Jones on 15 January 1784.
• Headquarters- Kolkata

8. Anthropological Survey of India

Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is the apex Indian organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research for human and cultural aspects, working primarily in the fields of physical anthropology and cultural anthropology.
Headquarters- Kolkata
Present Director- V R Rao