| Indian Council for Cultural Relations | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ICCR |
| Formation | April 9, 1950 |
| Headquarters | Azad Bhawan, I. P Estate, New Delhi - 110001 |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| President | Karan Singh [1] |
| Main organ | Council |
| Remarks | Official ICCR Website |
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India’s external cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their peoples. It was founded on 9 April 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India.
The ICCR Headquarters are situated in Azad Bhavan, I.P. Estate, New Delhi, with regional offices in Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, [Cuttack]], Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong, Thiruvananthapuram & Varanasi. The council also operates missions internationally, with established cultural centres in Georgetown, Paramaribo, Port Louis, Jakarta, Moscow, Berlin, Cairo, London, Tashkent, Almaty, Johannesburg, Durban, Port of Spain and Colombo. ICCR has recently opened new cultural centers in Dhaka, Thimpu, Sao Paulo, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur & Tokyo.[2]
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The Indian Council for Cultural Relations mission statement reads:
The Council addresses its mandate of cultural diplomacy through a broad range of activities. In addition to organising cultural festivals, both in India and overseas, the ICCR financially supports a number of cultural institutions across India, as well as sponsoring individual performers in dance, music, photography, theatre, and the visual arts. It also administers the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding established by Government of India, in 1965.[4]
To showcase the best of Indian performing and visual arts, the Council empanels performing artists who are proficient in their field. Empanelled artistes are added to a reference list, and may receive sponsorship from the Council when they perform internationally.
The ICCR offers 1804 scholarships every year, on behalf of the Government of India, to international students who choose to study various artistic and cultural disciplines in India. Undergraduate and Postgraduate students from over 70 countries have benefited from this scheme.
Promoting India’s rich cultural heritage overseas is a central role of the Council. To this end, it sponsors exhibitions of India’s contemporary, and traditional arts, in major events worldwide. Under various cultural exchange programmes, the ICCR also sponsors exhibitions of Indian art and crafts in foreign countries, and hosts return exhibitions from overseas.
The ICCR has an ambitious publication programme.
Six quarterly journals, are published in five different languages:
| Journal | Language |
|---|---|
| Indian Horizons | English |
| Africa Quarterly | English |
| Gagananchal | Hindi |
| Papeles de la India | Spanish |
| Rencontre Avec I’ Inde | French |
| Thaqafat-ul-Hind | Arabic |
In addition the Council has published a wide range of books, covering a variety of culturally oriented subjects. Published works include the writings of eminent Indian statesmen and philosophers like Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Nehru and Tagore.
The ICCR's Publication Programme, focusses on books relating to Indian Culture, Philosophy and Mythology, as well as traditional music, dance, and theatre. Translation of Sanskrit classics into a number of foreign languages; including French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and English; whilst translating seminal works of World Literature into Hindi, and other Indian languages, is central to the ICCR philosophy of cultural exchange and diversity.