Artists at Bharat Bhavan: starved of funds for cultural activityBhopal:When the employees of Bharat Bhavan - the prestigious multi-arts centre in the Madhya Pradesh capital - went on a 10-day strike recently, it hardly created a ripple in cultural circles. That wasn't surprising as the elite institution is so starved of funds after becoming "autonomous" three years ago that all cultural activity has ceased since last February. Out of its annual income of Rs 95 lakh, 90 per cent is spent on establishment cost alone. The 130 employees, including artists, are now demanding implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. If this is accepted, it'll mean an additional burden of Rs 6 lakh a year on the centre. "With the establishment cost going up each year, that will leave no money for cultural activity," says state Culture Secretary and Bhavan Trustee Secretary Ajit Raizada. Some suggest that a handsome profit could be made if the vast under-utilised property were to be rented out. But then the Bharat Bhavan management has always been too elitist to try such pedestrian solutions. Last week, ironically, the trustees, headed by bureaucrat Ashok Vajpayee, sought the state Government's intervention to save the institution from slow death. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 17, 1998--- ENDS ---
