India

=India= By: Sarah Reid

Overview:
The Republic of India, a country of a mere 1.7 billion people, is located just South of the borders of Pakistan and China, and its coasts jut out into the Arabian Sea. Functioning under a federal republic government, India received its independence in August of 1947. Legislative groups and leaders for this country include a president, Pratibha D. Patil; a prime minister, Manmohan Singh; a upreme court, and a parliament. Given its previous station as a British colony, its government reflects that of the United States (post-independence), and the United Kingdom. India consists of twenty-eight declared states, and seven union territories. Political turmoil and corruption have remained everpresent in this country, and have percolated into the lives of artists and the works that they produce.

Arts Education:
This topic does not seem to be a front-runner debate in education talks these days, as India remains solely to "[capitalize] on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers... (Dept. of State, 2010)" If one were to glance at main exports, for example, this non-arts trend is clearly evident as the top three are: engineering goods, petroleum products, and precious stones. Furthermore, since as many as "700 million indians live on $2 per day or less," the government is seeking to stimulate growth in the economy through in-demand jobs - software, engineering, etc. - not arts.

Notable Artist - F.N. Souza


Francis Newton Souza was a native Indian artist who's still life landscapes and nudes continue to awe art lovers to this day. Born in 1924, Souza's life was very much different from those around him. Plagues with episodes of small pox infections and the death of this father, youth was not an easygoing time for him. In fact, many have discussed that his sufferings were the inspiration for many of his glorious works of art. His passion for the arts motivated his participation in the Sir J. J. School of Art, located in Mumbai, India. His enrollment only lasted, however, until the political scene escalated. In the late 1930s to early 1940s. political tensions were at a peak. Under the leadership of Mohandas K. Ghandi, the citizens of India were seeking independence from the overshadowing British empire. These tensions evoked great interest in Souza, and led to his participation in a political movement (Quit India) that caused his expulsion from Sir J. J. Just a few short years later, in 1947, Francis founded the Progressive Artists Movement with other artists of the Era.

"Head" & "The Last Supper"

Souza's passion and work led him out of India in 1949, traveling to London, then across the pond to reside in United States and pursue his dream. His paintings did not receive great recognition until the mid 1950's, where he obtained a solo exhibition at the Gallery One in London, England. As a result of his devotion to civil rights and politics, his works of art reflected his rebellion and non-conformist attitude by revealing distorted and uninhibited figures. He frequently explored the conflict in a "man-woman relationship," in his works as well. In March 2002, Francis Newton Souza passed away at the age of 78.

Notable Arts Program - India Foundation for the Arts
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This organization was established as a public trust in 1993, and founded/drirected by Anmol Vellani. India Foundation for the Arts is located in Bangalore, India. IFA seeks to "[enrich] the practice and knowldge of, [widen] access to, and [strengthen] capacities and infrastructure in the arts in India, by supporting innovative projects, commissioning research and creating public platforms (IFA, 2010)." It shares a similar vision to myriad other arts groups and organizations, in that, IFA desires to "ensure the arts, in all their diversity, are nurtured and valued because they enrich individual and community life and are critical to envisioning the future of our society (IFA, 2010)." Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the history of this incredible organization, is its logo, and the story behind it.



"It shows a bird in full flight, climbing steeply, caught at the very last instant before it leaves the frame of the painting (IFA, 2010)." It is also pointed out that, "the rising bird evokes much that IFA upholds: freedom expressed, the imagination in easy flight, the disregard for limits, and the joy of escape (IFA, 2010)." An important aspect of IFA is its dedication to preserving and providing arts information and arts opportunities that can benefit any spectrum of people. IFA provides different grant programs - curatorships, arts research & documentation, theatre infrastructure cell, etc. - that aid in the progression of arts into the Indian culture. As an organization, they also work to provide resources to educational institutions in the areas of workshops and arts courses to share their information and expertise with others.

 Teacher Training and Certification
I found it difficult to uncover information on certification in arts teaching in India. From what I could gather, however, it is very similar to that of the United States. A Bachelor of Education is required, along with a high school (secondary) diploma. In addition, an assessment form is required (this is documentation and evaluations from the candidates student teaching experience). I did not find any trace, however, of a test or assessment of subject knowledge, like that of what is required in Michigan. That said, it does appear that great attention is given to education in India, just not necessarily Arts education.

In conclusion...
I found that I was greatly intrigued by the information I could find about arts education in this country. It seems that while the country and its peoples are greatly interested in the arts, and in producing arts, they are not as concerned as a public entity to include those "hobbies" into the educational curriculum. This shocked me somewhat. I assumed that when I was assigned India, I would find nothing but a plethora of arts organizations and institutions, simply because of the great architecture and otherwise artistic works to surface in India over the past century or so. In relation with my own arts experience, however, this correlates somewhat. While we were required to attend "art class" for an assigned number of days throughout each day, it was never more than a place where we got out of class. Never were we encouraged to take it seriously, as a potential career track. By the time I entered high school, I never once enrolled in an art class. Another interesting surprise was that even though the Indian government takes educational policy very seriously, the arts are not included in those policies. For a country that is well known for the arts, it continues to surprise me that more attention is not given to them.