Sanskar Bharti saw the inauguration of its independent facility in the national capital, Kala Sankul. The inauguration was graced by the RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat and the newly elected General Secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale.
Before Sanskar Bharti became a large organization working for the promotion of Indian art and culture, it was an idea. An idea that was seeded in 1954, it only came into being nearly thirty years later in 1981. Today, forty years since its inception, there are 1,200 branches of Sanskar Bharti all over the country pursuing the goal of highlighting India’s fine arts, in line with its motto “Art is the one which gives freedom by cutting the straits of evil”. Sanskar Bharti’s aim is lofty, it aims to get the general population that is fed a diet of pop culture and films, to pay attention to India’s traditional arts, as well as support the artist and artisan community by providing them with a platform and public exposure.
However, it was only in 2021 that Sanskar Bharti saw the inauguration of its independent facility in the national capital—Kala Sankul. The inauguration held during Covid times saw a truncated guest list, but was graced by the RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat and the newly elected General Secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale.
This unique art and culture building, Kala Sankul, will be a hive for diverse arts including dance, painting, literature and theatre. The centre opens with an art exhibition and will soon have an online art gallery as well, where art can be purchased. Savvy art buyers should keep an eye out for this, because Sanskar Bharti with its wide network across the country, discovers artists before the world does. Amir Chand, the General Secretary of Sanskar Bharti, displays a personal ebullience when he speaks of the plans of the art gallery—describing the first exhibition Ram ka Lok, with the keen eye of an art connoisseur; there are already bids in for the paintings.
However, Kala Sankul will be a space not only for artists, but also for members of the general public who have an interest in the arts or are just looking for an “adda” called the “Kala Adda”. The complex boasts of a canteen with affordable food.
The inauguration saw a mélange of performances by musical artists from different traditions, including folk singer Malini Awasthi, devotional singer Anup Jalota, Sunanda Sharma, Anwar Khan and Wasifudin Dagar. This was followed by an address by Dr Mohan Bhagwat, who emphasised on the unique space that the arts occupy in Bharatiya culture. More than an address, it was a profound and moving tribute to art and the artists. He began with an introduction to the purpose of the arts—which are in their essence an exploration of the truth and its expression in an aesthetic form. The purpose of the Bharatiya artistic traditions is Satyam Shivam Sundaram, he said, a pathway if for the artist to reach the epitome of truth that transcends mind, body and intellect. A powerful exposition indeed of the artists’ raison d’etre. Dr Bhagwat was insightful when he said that a speech may reach the mind but not the heart; however, art has the ability to make the journey to the heart. This is indeed true as most art lovers will agree.
For the Sangh, a cultural organisation, the arts play a significant role in society and are a means to an elevated existence that transcend the temptations of the times, and keeps culture and values alive. In the present times of multiple entertainment options on instant demand, the traditional art forms suffer and are at risk of being left behind. Bharatiya arts are then not only a form of entertainment, but also a mode of truth telling, a bridge between the past and present. The uninterrupted continuation of a parampara like that of the guru and shishya has transcended the vagaries of time is a testament to the resilience of this tradition.
The Kala Sankul is but a building, made of brick and mortar, but the essence it encapsulates is that of continuity and community, of selfless dedication to the arts, from the remotest corners of the country. The arts which will not fill football stadiums and whose proponents will not stare back at you from billboards, those arts and artists are the ones that Sanskar Bharti champions and in these commercialised and over-crowded times, one can only say thank you.
Advaita Kala is an author and award winning screenwriter.