Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has launched a new campaign called ‘KALA VISHWA’, from its Mumbai Centre. 

This was on Sunday. Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children and Youth & Sports inaugurated the first programme under the “Kala Vishwa” campaign.

As it is Kala Vishwa is a special campaign under the Horizon Series that will be held for a duration of six months to reach out to traditional folk artists, local artistes / artisans and those coming from rural areas and give them an opportunity and a platform to perform under this campaign, especially during the challenging time of COVID-19. The Kala Vishwa campaign took off from Mumbai today, with a focus on traditional art forms of Maharashtra and Goa. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe said, ICCR has organized the 'Kala Viswa' event in Mumbai with a view to enable artists who cherish traditional arts of the region, like Waghya Murali, Gondhal, Vasudev or Dashavatar to present their art during the pandemic period. 

“Two to three programs will be presented virtually per month from the seventeen ICCR centres across the country. The campaign is being launched today through Mumbai, Pune and Goa centres. This will help to present folk arts to foreign students and also be of help to neglected artists”, added Dr. Sahasrabuddhe. This series will also help the foreign students associated with ICCR to understand folk culture of India, he further said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe said, ICCR has organized the 'Kala Viswa' event in Mumbai with a view to enable artists who cherish traditional arts of the region, like Waghya Murali, Gondhal, Vasudev or Dashavatar to present their art during the pandemic period. 

“Two to three programs will be presented virtually per month from the seventeen ICCR centres across the country. The campaign is being launched today through Mumbai, Pune and Goa centres. This will help to present folk arts to foreign students and also be of help to neglected artists”, added Dr. Sahasrabuddhe. This series will also help the foreign students associated with ICCR to understand folk culture of India, he further said.

Speaking about ICCR, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe noted that ICCR fosters and strengthens cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries. More than 1 lakh students come to India for studies and ICCR is instrumental in teaching and making them aware about Indian culture, he said. 

The’ Kala Vishwa’ series will be in the virtual mode and can be viewed on ICCR’s social media platforms.

The inaugural programme was followed by a colourful performance of Maharashtra’s traditional folk theatre ‘Dashavtar’ by artist Shri Om Prakash Chavan. The programme can be watched here: https://www.facebook.com/100011577452371/videos/556815002110692

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organization under Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. It is a nodal body for the projection of India’s soft power abroad. Ever since its establishment, it has emerged as the principal governmental organization for our cultural and academic engagement with the world.