Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya In Lucknow To Move Forward Under CM Yogi's Vision, Indian Culture To Get A World-Class Campus

Lucknow, July 6: Under the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the new campus of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya is set to become a historic initiative towards giving Indian culture, music, folk traditions, and performing arts global recognition. The proposed world-class campus at Kakorabad in the state capital, Lucknow, is being planned not merely as a music university but as a comprehensive centre of Indian culture.

With this objective, a high-level advisory committee meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary, Culture, Tourism and Religious Affairs Department, Amrit Abhijat, was held on Monday, where eminent artists, academicians, and experts from across the country deliberated in detail on the blueprint of the campus.

During the meeting, special emphasis was laid on ensuring that the new campus becomes the country's largest centre of India's cultural heritage, Indian knowledge tradition, and performing arts for the coming hundreds of years.

Integrated cultural education vision
During the meeting, experts said that there is currently no such institution in the country that brings together India's thousands of years old cultural heritage on a single platform, where integrated study and research can be undertaken in classical music, dance, theatre, folk and tribal arts, visual and fine arts, literature, philosophy, yoga, spirituality, the Indian Knowledge System, and modern art education. Keeping this vision in mind, a proposal was presented to develop the new campus of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya as the country's first comprehensive "Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya."

The proposal also included the development of world-class facilities such as the preservation of rare manuscripts, documentation of oral traditions, a digital repository, and a museum of Indian performing arts.

Modern infrastructure and facilities
The meeting also reached a consensus on several state-of-the-art facilities for the proposed campus. Suggestions were made to establish dedicated schools for subjects such as music, dance, theatre, yoga and spirituality, visual and fine arts, literature and philosophy, filmmaking, and arts and cultural management.

It was also proposed to develop modern infrastructure including acoustics-based practice rooms, modern dance studios, music and recording studios, an AI Music Lab, the Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande Grand Auditorium, a Black Box Theatre, a Classical Dance Theatre, a Recital Hall, and an open-air stage.

In addition, plans were proposed to develop an incubation centre for cultural startups, a media and content lab, and an Intellectual Property (IP) Support Centre to provide fresh momentum to India's creative economy.

Experts’ suggestions and inputs
During the meeting, Padma Shri Malini Awasthi stressed that the campus should be developed in harmony with nature and Indian traditions. She suggested extensive tree plantation, open and natural surroundings, residential facilities for teachers, integration of Hindustani and Carnatic music, connecting the traditional gharanas of Uttar Pradesh with the institution, and establishing a theatre complex, exhibition hall, interactive learning spaces, and specialised laboratories based on the Integrated Knowledge System. Meanwhile, Prof. Siddharth Singh emphasised the need to develop the university beyond a music institution into a comprehensive Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya.

During the meeting, Padma Shri Prof. Vaman Kendre and other experts stressed including folk and tribal arts, theatre, performing arts, visual arts, and literature as part of an integrated curriculum. They suggested establishing a Digital Art Centre, developing it as a Centre of Excellence for all forms of art, and regularly inviting renowned artists from India and abroad to make the university a hub of international cultural dialogue. The experts said that the campus would not only preserve India's cultural heritage but also provide the younger generation with opportunities for world-class art education and research.

Government vision and roadmap
Additional Chief Secretary, Culture, Tourism and Religious Affairs Department, Amrit Abhijat, said, “Uttar Pradesh has a unique opportunity to develop such a world-class institution that would preserve India's ancient cultural heritage while also meeting the needs of the new generation.”

He added, “The goal is to establish Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya among the world's leading performing arts institutions. For this purpose, a campus will be developed whose architecture, academic excellence, and cultural environment will themselves reflect the essence of Indianness. Every student, artist, and visitor who comes here should feel connected to India's rich artistic traditions while also being prepared for future challenges.”

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He informed that there is also a plan to organise a national-level architectural design competition for the university's new campus so that the country's finest architects can contribute to this ambitious project. He stated, “The campus blueprint should also reflect the geographical diversity of India's various gharanas and cultural traditions. At the same time, emphasis was laid on expanding the university's academic scope beyond traditional performing arts by including subjects such as digital arts, animation, documentary filmmaking, virtual production, music technology, interdisciplinary research, Buddhist cultural philosophy, cultural diplomacy, and the Indian knowledge tradition, so that the institution becomes a centre of attraction not only for national but also for international students and researchers.”

Vice Chancellor Prof. Mandavi Singh said, “The new campus of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya would become a world-class centre for the holistic development of Indian culture, music, and performing arts. Here, students will be provided with an excellent environment for education, research, and creativity through the integration of tradition and modern technology.”

The meeting was attended by Registrar S.P. Singh, Padma Bhushan Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, Prof. Shruti Bandyopadhyay, Padma Shri Dr. Shovana Narayan, Prof. Anupam Mahajan, Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Padma Shri Prof. Vaman Kendre, Prof. Siddharth Singh, Dr. Vandana Sehgal, and several other experts.