High Commission of India, London
About India: Art, Culture & Sports - Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Sports and Festivals

The cultural policy of the Government has three objectives - preserving the cultural heritage, inculcating art consciousness among the people and promoting high standards in the performing and creative arts. Eminent persons from the field of fine arts are nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament.

The tradition of painting in India goes back to antiquity, as is evident from the murals of Ajanta, Ellora and other frescoes, the Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts, the Jam texts and the Deccan, Mughal and Kangra schools. A touch of modernness came with the Bengal renaissance while many contemporary painters have adopted the abstract and other modern styles.

Religious motifs mainly inspired the trends in Indian architecture and sculpture. The temples, mosques, forts, palaces and other monuments testify to that. But after independence, modern architecture in buildings came to India in a big way with Chandigarh, designed by Corbusier, acting as a sort of beacon to the young aspirants in the field.

The Indian mythology, legends and classical literature provide the themes of the Indian dance, both of the classical and folk variety. The classical dance is based on rigid rules and dance discipline. Its forms include Bharat Natyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Kathak.

The theatre in India is perhaps as old as its music and dance. But the classical theatre in the country survives only in some cities. The tradition of folk theatre, on the other hand, is alive in nearly all the linguistic regions of the country. In addition, there are a large number of puppet show practitioners.

Founded in 1953, the national academy of music, dance and drama (Sangeet Natak Akademi) has performed the role of sponsoring, research, dissemination, appreciation and patronage of the performing arts. It gives awards to outstanding performers and provides assistance for theatre production and teaching and offers scholarships to students. It also arranges exchange of troupes.

The National School of Drama was founded in 1959. It has produced some outstanding theatre personalities of India. Its faculty has been served by some well-known names in the fields of direction, teaching and designing. It also has a Repertory Company of its own.

The country leads the world in the output of movie films, with more than 800 produced annually. They command an enormous domestic market and have become increasingly popular abroad, particularly in Asia, Africa and West Asia. The major production centres are Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta. Movies are the most popular medium of entertainment. Much of the commercial cinema revolves around social dramas and thrillers with many songs and dance sequences thrown in. But an art cinema which takes a serious look at Indian society is becoming increasingly popular. There has been widespread recognition of Indian artists and directors at film festivals in different parts of the world. India has been a regular participant in film festivals all over the world. Many Indian actors have won international acclaim, some have served on the jury of film festivals abroad.The late Satyajit Ray was awarded many prestigious international awards including the Oscar in 1992 for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema.

Documentary and short film makers have also played an important role in spreading knowledge and awareness among sections which are yet to get the benefits of modern education.

The two main classical schools of music in India are called Hindustani, popular in the northern, eastern and western parts of the country, and Carnatic, which has its roots in south India. The classical music tradition has survived through the practice of Guru (teacher) passing on his skills orally to the Shishya (discipile). This led to the existence of the system of Gharanas and Sampradayas in classical music.

Folk and tribal music has also thrived in India and, lately, it has been brought to the cities. Light music has also become very popular in urban centres.

Bhimsen Joshi, Jasraj, M.S. Subulakshmi, Dr. M. Bala Murali Krishna, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Sonal Mansingh, Swapna Sundari, Girish Karnad and B. Alkazi are some of the well-known names in performing arts.

From the Vedas and Upnishads to Ramayan and Gita, India has produced great works of literature, philosophy and religion. The tradition has continued in contemporary India. Nearly every major Indian language has a rich tradition of literature. Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for his Work 'Geetanjali'. Many Indians writing in English have gained international acclaim. Raja Rao, Kamala Markandaya, Nirad Choudhury, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Manohar Malgonkar, Amitabh Ghosh, Vikram Seth - the list is long. The prestigious Booker Prize of 1997 went to Arundhati Roy for her maiden novel "The God of Small Things".

Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. Other popular games are football, cricket, basketball, volleyball and badminton. Cricket has become a very popular game and India, once one-day cricket champions, staged the World Cup in 1987 and co-hosted it with Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 1996.

Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 test centuries remains unbeaten though his aggregate of 10,122 test runs was surpassed by Allan Border of Australia. Many argue that Sachin Tendulkar is today's best batsman.

In games like tennis and billiards, which are played by a very small percentage of the population, Indians have nevertheless made a mark in the international arena. At the young age of 17 Vishwanath Anand became an international chess grandmaster. Today he is seen as the only tough challenger of the world champion, Gary Kasparov. Following Anand, a large number of pre-teen Indians have emerged with a lot of promise. Geet Sethi has won both the World Amateur and Professional Billiard Championships, while in 1990 Leander Paes became the third Indian Wimbledon Junior Champion. Leander Paes won the bronze medal at the Tennis Singles competition in the 1996 Olympics. Another young star to emerge is the shooter Jaspal Rana who looks quite capable of winning many awards internationally.

After the IX Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982, the capital city now boasts of some very modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. With the introduction of new equipment and techniques of coaching and training, there is hope that India will show a marked improvement in various disciplines of sports. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously and are played by people in the villages. Among these is wrestling, a sport which has developed many local styles and schools. It is taught for the most part in traditional gymnasia with packed mud floors. There are also several indigenous systems of martial arts.

Among the indigenously developed games, the most popular are kabaddi and kho-kho. National competitions are held in these two games. Among equestrian sports, tent-pegging has a uniquely Indian flavour. Camel races and elephant races are also uniquely Indian. Among the indigenous water sports, the snake-boat race which takes place in the backwaters of Kerala during the Onam festival has now become an international tourist attraction.

Pongal: A three-day harvest festival and one of the most joyful events in the South. In Tamil Nadu, newly harvested rice is ceremonially cooked. In Karnataka, the festival is called 'Sankranti', and cows and bullocks are gaily decorated and fed on 'Pongal' ( a sweet preparation of rice). In the evening, the cattle are led out in procession to the beat of drums and music.

Republic Day: January 26 marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution in 1950 and is India's National Day. Celebrations in the State capitals are colourful. The celebrations in New Delhi, a magnificent parade of the armed forces and civilians, is followed by an impressive cultural pageant and a colourful folk-dance festival.

Id-ul-Zuha: Commemorates the sacrifice of Abraham. Muslims offer prayers all around the country.

Muharram: Commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the holy Prophet Mohammed, and is observed by the Shi'ite Muslims, who take out processions of colourfully decorated 'Tazias', which are paper and bamboo replicas of the martyr's tomb at Karbala in Iraq. The processions are specially impressive at Lucknow. In parts of the South, tiger dancers &mdash men painted over with stripes and wearing tiger masks &mdash lead the procession.

Holi: The most boisterous of all Hindu festivals, observed all over the North. It heralds the end of winter. Men, women and children revel in throwing coloured powder and squirting coloured water on each other. Greetings and sweets are exchanged.

Mahavir Jayanti: The anniversary of the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara, more than 2,500 years ago. The festival attracts pilgrims from all parts of the country to the ancient Jam shrines at Girnar and Palitana in Gujarat.

Good Friday: Services and recitals of religious music are held in hundreds of churches all over India.

Easter: The Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ is celebrated with enthusiasm by the members of the community. Processions are taken out in some parts of the country.

Baisakhi: The Hindu Solar New Year Day. People bathe in rivers and go to temples to offer puja (worship). Baisakhi is of special significance to the Sikhs. On this day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh organised them into the 'Khalsa', brotherhood of man. In Punjab, farmers start harvesting on this day with great fanfare. Villagers perform the 'Bhangra folk-dance.

Buddha Purnima: Marks the birth and enlightenment of Buddha.

Khardad Sal: The birth anniversary of the Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), who was born at the beginning of the first millennium BC. It is one of the most important Parsee festivals.

Janmashtami: The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu and the author of the Bhagavad Gita (Song Celestial), is observed all over. It is celebrated with special éclat at Mathura and Brindavan where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Night-long prayers are offered and religious hymns are sung in temples. Scenes are enacted from Lord Krishna's early life.

Independence Day: August 15 marks the anniversary of Independence in 1947 and is celebrated with due solemnity. The national flag is hoisted and the occasion marked as a day of dedication.

Onam: Kerala's most popular festival, celebrated with great enthusiasm, it is primarily a harvest festival. The most exciting part of the festival is the snake-boat race held at several places in the palm-fringed lagoons.

Dussehra and Durga Puja: Among the most popular of all festivals, it symbolises the triumph of good over evil. Every region observes this 10-day festival in a special way. In the North, 'Ram Lila' recitations and music recall the life of the legendary hero, Rama. Large fire cracker-stuffed effigies of Ravana, symbolising evil, explode to the cheers of thousands of spectators. In Kulu against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains, villagers dressed in their colourful best assemble to take out processions of local deities accompanied by music on pipes and drums. In Karnataka, Dussehra is celebrated with magnificent pomp and pageantry. In Bengal and the East, it is called 'Durga Puja'. Images of Goddess Durga are worshipped for four days and, on the last day, taken out in a procession and immersed in a river or the sea.

Gandhi Jayanti : October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Special prayers are offered at the Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat, Delhi and celebrations are held all over the country.

Diwali : The festival of lights is one of the most beautiful of Indian festivals. It comes 21 days after Dussehra and celebrates the return of Rama to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile. Countless flickering oil lamps and lights are lit in houses all over the country making it a night of enchantment. Worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and fireworks and festivities are an essential part of the occasion.

Guru Nanak Jayanti : Also known as 'Gurupurab', it is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak who founded the Sikh faith. For two days and nights preceding the festival, the 'Granth Sahib' (Holy Book) is read and on the day of the festival, taken out in a grand procession. The celebrations at Amritsar are especially impressive.

Children's Day: November 14, the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru is celebrated throughout the country as Children's Day. Groups of children participate in rallies and cultural programmes.

Id-ul-Fitr: Celebrates the end of Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting. It is an occasion of feasting and rejoicing. The faithful gather in mosques to pray; friends and relatives meet to exchange greetings.

Christmas: Celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike with special enthusiasm. The bigger cities like Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta wear a festive look as Christmas bazaars and festivities are organised.

Id-e-Milad: Prophet's Birthday: The day is marked by prayers and discourses on the teachings of the Prophet whose death anniversary also falls on the same day.

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