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Project “Sanskriti” at Varanasi
AnnuAl RepoRt 2014-15 for developing some schools and colleges in Varanasi in a way that they have mastery over any luminary of Varanasi or over any
Project Sanskriti is an initiative of Ministry of Culture in developing/establishing of interpretation Centres in Educational Institu-
tions in Varanasi envisioned by Hon’ble Prime Minister. In his speech in Varanasi on December 25, 2014 he stressed the need

theme regarding the heritage of Varanasi.
In this endeavour, CCRT was deputed as a Nodal agency to coordinate the initiative of Ministry of Culture in developing/estab-
lishing Interpretation Centres in Educational Institutions in Varanasi. The CCRT will work with its chosen institutions to work on
the themes of Mahamana Malviya, Jaishankar Prasad, Sampoornanand, Swami Karpatri ji, Kashi Naresh, Pt. Lal Bahadur Shastri
and Pt. Vidya Niwas Mishra. The chosen institutions will have a variety of activities ranging from developing museum corners,
debates, padyatras, literary competitions, recitation of writings of these literary figures, etc.
A three day Seminar on “Culture Education in Schools” was organized by CCRT from December 25 to 27, 2014 for the Principals
and in-service teachers of Varanasi during the “Sanskriti” Programme in which 43 principals and 29 teachers of government
schools of Varanasi participated. The CCRT has proposed to adopt 32 schools of Varanasi for streamlining and understanding
the ideational philosophy of various facets of Indian Culture. A Workshop was organised for 75 students from different schools
of Varanasi from December 25 to 27, 2014 at Department of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University. An exhibition “India-
Continuity and Change” was visited by local people at Varanasi.

The CCRT conducted a meeting on February 05, 2015 of Principals of the educational institutions of Varanasi which was chaired
by Shri Pankaj Rag, Joint Secretary, MoC. The meeting was attended by 31 Principals and 47 Teachers of different intermediate
colleges of Varanasi alongwith the representative of the Banaras Hindu University.
CCRT has established 31 Cultural Clubs in selected designated schools for translating the initiative of the MoC based on Hon’ble
Prime Minister’s vision of bringing culture into school curriculum.

VIRASAT - CULTURAL FESTIVAL

A Cultural Festival-Virasat-Kamaladevi was organised on
October 29 to 30, 2014. Founder of CCRT, Smt. Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyay pioneered a range of institutions and
approaches intended to empower artisans and to secure a lasting
position for craft in India’s culture and economy. The festival
commenced with the delivery of 5th Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Memorial Lecture (KCML) by Prof. Ashoke Chatterjee titled “Can our
future be handmade?” This paper explores dichotomies of
India’s craft experience. These reflect the centrality of hand
production to the Freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi’s
leadership, bold experiments in craft development as part of
national planning once India was free, and contrasting nations
today of what should represent modernity and progress. The need
of the hour is to ensure sustainability of the artisans and their crafts.
The lecture was followed by rendering of music by the Bauls of West Bengal by Dr. Swapan Mukherjee. Baul song is about love
for the Divine and celebrates celestial love. Bauls are bards, composer, musicians, dancers and actors all rolled into one, and

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