JAMMU: Principal Secretary Culture, Suresh Kumar Gupta, today convened a meeting to take stock of activities of J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages (JKAACL) being carried out for the promotion of art and local culture in the region especially among youth.
While addressing the meeting, the Principal Secretary emphasized upon framing of year long calendar of activities to be carried out by the Academy in different parts of the UT. He also advised for creating a well-designed coffee table book depicting different works regarding the preservation and promotion of our culture, languages and different art forms of J&K.
Gupta asked the Academy to engage the youth of the UT in their activities so that they get acquainted with the rich art and cultural treasures of the region. He enjoined upon them to provide many requisite platforms to the young generation for chiselling and fine-tuning their art forms in a totally professional manner. In this regard, he called for holding workshops, exhibitions and talent-hunt shows on a regular basis.
He said that art forms like music, dance, poetry, drama and painting are stress busters, the need for which is felt by all during these times. He asked to provide people with the art of their choice so that they relish it to add colour to their lives. He also advised for creating awareness among the public about the rich and diverse art, culture and languages of different regions of J&K found from Kathua to Kupwara. He directed for adding ‘Cultural Vibrancy’ to the overall ambience of J&K which is abundantly blessed with a unique cultural legacy. He called for the dissemination of information through the circulation of short videos, brochures and leaflets among the public so that they can associate themselves with the Academy to showcase their talent.
On the occasion, Gupta asked for better upkeep of valuable assets like Tagore Hall and Abhinav Theatre here. He also directed for pulling up further the men and machinery for completing the work on the Sufiyana School at Srinagar and the Cultural Centre at Kathua. He directed for roping in and duly recognizing those artists from J&K whose contribution has been applauded at the national level.
On the occasion, the Secretary of JKAACL, Bharat Singh, informed the Principal Secretary about different works and projects taken up by the Academy across the UT. He informed him that the society has conducted around 419 activities across different districts of the UT in this financial year till January 2024. He said that the Academy has constituted different bodies including the General Council, Central Committee and Finance Committee for the smooth running of its affairs.
It was also informed that JKAACL is mandated to promote and develop Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Punjabi, Pahari and Gojri languages besides English and Punjabi.
Regarding the literary works of the Academy, it was informed that the major publications issued by it included Sheraza, bimonthly in Hindi, Dogri, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Urdu, Gojri, Pahari and English, Gatha, quarterly in Hindi, Dogri and Punjabi, Kashmiri, Pahari and Gojri, Hamra Sahita, yearly in Hindi, Punjabi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri and Urdu.
Additionally, the Academy has published dictionaries in Kashmiri, Dogri, Pahari, and Gojri languages besides 7 volumes of an Encyclopedia in the Kashmiri language while the Dogri Encyclopedia is under process.
The Academy has a rare and rich collection of paintings numbering more than 400 including those of M. F. Hussain, Gokul Dambi, GR Santosh, Tyeb ji, JS Bendre, etc. It has a collection of over 605 manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Kashmiri languages representing religion and history. Besides, old 100 miniature paintings, 10 art objects (Wood, stone and terracotta) and some old survey maps also form part of the repository.
The JKAACL has established Translation Research Centers in Jammu and Jammu divisions of the Union Territory respectively. These Centres are undertaking the translation of literary works from one regional/national language into another and vice versa, informed during this meeting.
