Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two key projects associated with Bharat Bhavan, establishment of Kalagram and revival of Rangmandal, have been put on hold for almost a year for want of funds.
Culture minister Usha Thakur had made two key announcements on the 40th Foundation Day function of Bharat Bhavan on February 13 last year. She had announced that Kalagram – a centre for study and promotion of traditional and folk arts of Madhya Pradesh will be set up at Bharat Bhavan and Bhavan repertory Rangmandal would be revived.
A year later, with the 41st anniversary of the multi-arts complex just two weeks away, none of the two projects has started. Even the boundary wall of Kalagram has not come up. As for Rangmandal, the budget for its revival is yet to be sanctioned.
The state government has already allotted an additional 1 acre 5 decimal land for Kalagram. Kalagram will be the centre for collection and display of traditional paintings of the state, studies focused on folk styles based on Mahabharata and Ramayana, lectures, film screenings and documentation on various aspects of the state's culture.
Rangmandal - the theatre repertory of Bharat Bhavan - was established along with the opening of the Bhavan in 1984. Theatre doyen BV Karanth was its first director. The repertory had earned national fame for its excellent productions. It was shut down in 1999 in the wake of a series of controversies. The plays staged by Rangmandal were directed, among others, by Fritz Bennewitz, John Martin, Kavalam Narayan Pannikar, Habeeb Tanveer, Bansi Kaul and MK Raina.
Bharat Bhavan had got a functional trust after a gap of three years in August 2022. The Trust, at its meeting on September 8, 2022, chaired by its head Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, had approved the proposal for the revival of Rangmandal.
We have sent a proposal to the government for sanction of Rs 6 crore for the revival of Rangmandal to the government. Once it is approved, work will begin. As for Kalagram, the budget needed for it is yet to be determined. The work on construction of the boundary wall around the land allotted to us will begin soon.
- Prem Shankar Shukla, Chief Executive Officer, Bharat Bhavan
