Art & Culture
HP State Museum hosting ‘The World of Rock Art’ – 39-day national exhibition starting today
SHIMLA- To showcase the golden heritage antiques and the evacuation collected from various part of country, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts(IGNCA) will organised at a 39 day-long exhibition on the theme of ‘The World of Rock Art’ to be held at Himachal State Museum Shimla from today.
The exhibition is being organised by the IGNCA , New Delhi in collaboration with the HSM, Shimla. Interacting with media here on IGNCA project Director Dr B L Malla said the exhibition was organised to sensitise people about creative art of humankind so that any rock art if any in the state does not perish undiscovered. It would be inaugurated by Assembly speaker Brij Behari Lal Butail.
Dr Malla said the exhibition would show case thematic universality of this art form, to which both tangible and intangible aspects of the heritage is associated.
IGNCA under its national programme Adi Drishya (the primeval vision) has so far initiated the daunting task of systemically documenting the rock art sites in 14 states of India including Himachal,
he added.Today and tomorrow two special lectures will be delivered by Dr O C Handa renowned Archeologist in Himachal Pradesh on “Rock Art in Western Himalayan Region : An overview and Dr Hari Chauhan curator HSM on “Rock Art of Lahaul-Spiti,” Dr Malla added. Besides, two children workshops will also be organised on June 15 and June 16, he said. Hari Chauhan disclosed that in Himachal the major rock art sites are concentrated in the Spiti valley of Lahal- Spiti district of the region.
These rock faces in the valley are veritable storehouses of the geological history of the Himalayas, dating back to 500 million years. Spiti has a very rich repository of rock art, primarily consisting of petroglyphs on boulders and stone blocks,
Dr Malla said.He disclosed that the rock art in the area has neither been fully explored nor proper studies have been undertaken earlier
Art & Culture
Use Offerings Made at Himachal’s Hindu Religious Institutions Only For Hindus, Employ Only Hindus: HP Govt
Shimla-The Additional Chief Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Language, Art & Culture Department has issued a notification barring the use of offerings made at the Hindu religious places or institutions for non-Hindu Communities.
Directions in this regard have been issued to Commissioners (temple) under Section 27 of the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1984.
“All the receipts or offerings including gold and silver of the Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments shall be used only for the purposes pertaining to the welfare and other activities relating to only Hindus. No receipts or offerings shall be used for the purposes associated with activities relating to Non-Hindus,” the notification said.
Further, now, no non-Hindu person would be given any sort of employment at the Hindu religious institutions/places.
“All the officers and officials including the personnel related to security etc. whether appointed or deputed or taken on outsourcing basis shall be out of the persons professing the Hindu religion only,” the notification said.
No further clarification was provided regarding the intended purpose of this move.
Art & Culture
Kullu Dussehra 2021: All Religious Ceremonies to be Allowed, But No Commercial and Cultural Events
Shimla-The International Kullu Dussehra would be organised from 15th October to 21st October, 2021, the Himachal Pradesh Government informed today after holding a meeting regarding the same.
The HP Government has decided that all deities would be invited for the Dussehra festival. Orgnaization of all religious ceremonies would be allowed traditionally, but the cultural and commercial activities would not be held.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presided over meeting of State Level Kullu Dussehra Committee. Directions were given to ensure proper security system, uninterrupted electricity supply and adherence of Covid-19 guidelines.
It was also decided in the meeting that Language, Art and Culture Department would provide an additional amount of Rs. 10 lakh to district administration Kullu for organising Kullu Dussehra festival.
Art & Culture
Wah Re Corona: Himachali Folk Artist’s Lyrical Satire is Factual Rendition of India’s Agonizing Catastrophe
Shimla-Otherwise blatantly vocal and distinctively mass-mobilizing government of India is suddenly in the most subdued self after its proclaimed victory over the deathly virus; participation in uncontrolled election rallies; and permitting maha melas. The stalwarts are in the hiding, while helpless citizens – who voted them into power not once but in landslide victories twice – are dying due to lack of oxygen, poor – unavailable – medical facilities, and the denial stance of the ignorant in the helm.
Drawing a comparison between the fatal coronavirus and the mismanagement of the entire situation by the appalling government; a Himachali folk artist has released a factually appropriate lyrical satire that will tickle your mind and leave you to imagine what has brought this catastrophe onto us. The song is written by Rameshwar Sharma and music by Lalit Sauta.