Mark Twain said: "India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only" and yet we as Indians, especially, the younger generation have not realised the greatness of our country and our cultural heritage and still hanker after western music and western culture.

Freedom is essential I agree. Let each one choose what he wants, but at the same time one should not lose sight of one's roots. Our country has been the pioneer in promoting values, culture, music, dance sculptures right from the Harappan Indus Valley Civilization five thousand years ago. The fact that Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam and other classical forms of dance and music and folk arts have survived with its pristine purity inspite of several invasions speaks volumes of our great basic culture.




Though many youngsters have come forward to learn Carnatric music and classical dance, the audience who
come to these shows, even when there is free entrance, are only middle aged Rasikas and elder citizens. I do wish many more youngsters would cultivate the habit of attending classical music and dance wherever it takes place.

In Bharat Kalachar, we give scholarships to young aspiring students and we give free passes to atleast hundred of our students per show during the December Festival. Bharat Kalachar has been started with the following aims and objectives.

a) to promote and create a cultural awareness and appreciation of our own classical fine arts and traditional folk arts especially among youth.

b) to provide Art Education and Value Education through performing arts.

c) to promote National integration and International Understanding and good will among the youth through cultural exchange.

d) to give scholarship and awards to young students in recognition of their talent in the field of fine arts.

e) to conduct seminars, workshops, lecture-demonstrations, conferences in the field of Fine Arts by eminent and artistes to make them know about our different art forms.

Theatre is also part our programmes and we hope to introduce Theatre in Education by June 2000 with the help
of the Association of British Scholars, Tamil Nadu. We are going to train our teachers and we are confident that learning through theatre will become an established and enjoyable methodology for the children in school in the years to come.

We hope to continue this good work and inculcate our cultural heritage by exposing youngsters to our arts, through a process of osmosis. So parents of PSBB, please encourage your children to attend the free concerts at 9:30 AM and 1:30 P.M. and if they are learning music or dance, they may approach us for Free passes for some of the
evening performances .

Huh Shih former Ambassador of China to the USA said: India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.