Delhi government announces scholarships for advancing arts practice

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday increased the number and amount of scholarships for advancing arts practice, a move which will support budding artists and artists with disabilities.

“To make arts policy more inclusive, the Sahitya Kala Parishad of Delhi government has introduced a number of new programmes and broadened the scope of existing ones,” a statement from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

The highlights of the scheme include introduction of new categories like community arts, visual arts and research in art development; broadening the scope of music, theatre and dance categories by including newer forms like folk, hip-hop, rap along with traditional art forms; 10 reserved scholarships in each category for artists with disability, and inclusion of contemporary mediums like video-making, photography, digital art along with painting.

On the announcement, Sisodia, also the Art, Culture and Languages Minister, said that his government’s main goal is to make art practice and funding more inclusive and not just follow hierarchies.

“While on the one hand supporting artists practising traditional arts is important, it is equally important for us to acknowledge newer forms of expressions of the common people and support that. Why have hierarchies in arts if our aim to build an equal society?” he said.

As per the new scheme, a candidate who applies at Sahitya Kala Parishad and grabs one of the limited seats in a category, can get a scholarship of Rs 4,000 per month for visual arts, dance, theatre, music and community arts, and Rs 12,000 per month for research and arts development.

“The last date to apply at Sahitya Kala Parishad is September 10 and forms can be downloaded from its official website,” Sisodia’s office said.

IANS