Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India: Art revival Projects by Eastern Zonal Cultural Center (EZCC) – Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and The Union Territory of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Eastern Zonal Cultural Center (EZCC) covering the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and The Union Territory of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is one of the seven such Zonal Cultural Centers set up by the Government of India with a view to culturally integrate the states and Union Territories as a part of the program of national integration.

Since its inception in 1985 the EZCC has been functioning as a cultural nerve center, between and among the numerous ethnic cultural centers/groups of excellence of the eastern parts of the country. The Center strives through its various activities to enrich, promote and strengthen these traditions. The Center is totally dedicated to the promotion, projection and dissemination of our traditional culture.

Over the past several years, the EZCC has been able to infuse among people a conscious appreciation of the rich cultural heritage of its own zone as well as other parts of the country through its manifold programs of folk, tribal and classical dance music and dance, documentation and publication, workshops, as well as its exhibitions on arts and crafts. […]

Source: Easrern Zonal Cultural Centre
Address : http://ezccindia.org/aboutus.html
Date Visited: Tue Feb 04 2014 00:51:44 GMT+0100 (CET)

Regions noted for their wealth of tribal heritage: culture & ecology

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Seven Sister States & Sikkim

Wayanad

Western Ghats

Regional Zonal Cultural Centres

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata
Eastern region – Eastern Zonal Council

North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Prayagraj
Uttar Pradesh

North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur
Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council

North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala
Northern region – Northern Zonal Council

South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur
Central region – Central Zonal Council

South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
Southern region – Southern Zonal Council

West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur
Western region – Western Zonal Council

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Up-to-date information: Zonal Cultural Centres >>

India is undoubtedly one of the richest countries in terms of the diversity of its cultural heritage. The increasing popularity of its folk culture has been taken up as a background, which, with adequate strategy, will not only contribute towards revival of the selected art forms but also enable the artists in earning a sustainable livelihood. West Bengal and Orissa are the two states taken up for this project, as both are externally rich with respect to folk tradition, but poor with respect to socio-economic development. The achievements of the project would act as a model for replicability of the project in other zones of the country equally rich in heritage.

The primary objective of the project is to ensure a time bound programme for bringing a specific member of families below poverty line (BPL) above the line through training empowering, innovating and marketing their skills pertaining to folk painting and performing arts. This project also involves the tribal and rural women and hence is empowering them to start generating income as well.

The primary objective of EZCC under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, is to enrich, promote and strengthen the cultural traditions and art forms. Being an autonomous organisation, EZCC is stable, well known and capable of undertaking a project for revival and revitalizing of folk art and culture, since EZCC has worked in collaboration with the other Zonal centres corporate house, private groups and NGO’s promoting culture, in the past too. EZCC through this revival project will provide the adequate platform required to the artisans for marketing their skills.

Source: Easrern Zonal Cultural Centre
Address : http://ezccindia.org/revival-projects.html
Date Visited: Fri Aug 26 2011 10:11:57 GMT+0200 (CEST)

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More about the publication
Tribal Arts in India >>

More about the States coverd by The Eastern Zonal Cultural Center (EZCC) on this website: