Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi 

Sangeet Natak Akademi (External website that opens in a new window), India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, may be regarded as a pioneer in the process of creation of modern India that led politically to India's freedom in 1947. The ephemeral quality of the arts, and the need for their preservation led to the adapting of a democratic system in which a common man had the opportunity to learn, practice and propagate the art. Within the first few decades of the twentieth century, public perception of responsibility for both preservation and development of the arts had started inclining towards the state.

“India's precious heritage of music, drama and dance is one which we must cherish and develop. We must do so not only for our own sake but also as our contribution to the cultural heritage of mankind. Nowhere is it truer than in the field of art that to sustain means to create. Traditions cannot be preserved but can only be created afresh. It will be the aim of this Akademi to preserve our traditions by offering them an institutional form…” “In a democratic regime, the arts can derive their sustenance only from the people, and the state, as the organized manifestation of the people's will, must, therefore, undertake … maintenance and development [of arts] as one of [its] first responsibilities…”

                                               -Maulana Abul Kalam Azad