Joint Meeting of Governing Council and Executive Council of Western Zone Cultural Center

• 30 Jan 2023

Why In News?

• On January 29, 2023, Kalraj Mishra, Governor of Rajasthan and President of West Zone Cultural Center, in a joint meeting of the Governing Council and Executive Council of West Zone Cultural Center in Goa, according to the honorarium of Dr. Komal Kothari Award given to artists over the years. Giving instructions to increase, approved the proposal in this regard on the spot.

Key points

• After the approval of the Governor, the amount of two and a half lakh rupees Komal Kothari Award, given by the West Zone Cultural Arts Center, will not be divided if it is given to more than one person. If two artists are given this honour, then both will be given Rs 2.5 lakh each.
• The meeting was attended by members of the Governing Body and Executive Body from the Central Member States of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu.
• On this occasion, the Center also announced that the Festival of the North-East Octave will be held in Goa in 2023. This program of art promotion of artists of North-East is organized annually.
• In the meeting, the Governor also instructed to work seriously for the preservation, documentation and maximum dissemination of various art forms of traditional and vanishing tribal arts under the West Zone Cultural Center.
• Speaking on the occasion, the Governor stressed on the conservation of folk, traditional and tribal art forms belonging to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli under the Centre, promoting mutual exchange activities of artists.
• It is worth mentioning that in the memory of Padma Bhushan Dr. Komal Kothari, the well-known art connoisseur of Rajasthan, by the Western Zone Cultural Center of the Union Ministry of Culture, Udaipur, 'Dr. Komal Kothari Memorial Life time Achievement Folk Art Award' is given.
• Significantly, Dr. Komal Kothari is also known as 'Komal Da'. He did important work for the protection of folk arts. He had established Rupayan Sanstha in Borunda for the protection of Rajasthan's folk arts, folk music and instruments, search for vanishing arts etc.