EARTH NEWS SERVICE Srinagar, Dec 20 |15: Describing television and theatre as a powerful media that creates instant impact in the society, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Sunday, called upon the leading players in the field of Performing Arts to set up a ‘School of Acting & Drama’, tailor-made for a new generation of performers and storytellers who share a passion to learn the nitty-gritty of filmmaking. He said the State government is determined to promote and support artistic activities, which are intrinsically linked to our culture and heritage. “Government at best can play the role of a facilitator. The onus lies on experienced artists to build their own institutions and produce highquality creative content that would inspire youngsters to display their versatility,” he added. The Chief Minister made these observations while interacting with a delegation of J&K Television Professionals’ United Forum, here this morning. During the discussion, Mufti Sayeed referred to some of the measures taken by the government to promote art and culture in the state, which include opening of refurbished Tagore Hall at Srinagar and Abhinav Theatre at Jammu recently. “The government having created conducive environment for art-related activities, it was now up to the performers to use the facilities optimally,” he added. The Chief Minister also made a mention of his earlier announcement to set up a School ofSufiyana & Folk Music within the J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages (JKAACL) which would lead to cultural revival by offering certificate courses in various Performing Arts. He also suggested to the visiting delegation to tie up with the Cultural Academy for staging a drama at Tagore Hall that provides a window of opportunity to our youth to display their talent. The delegation, led by President Zameer Ashai and General Secretary Ayash Arif, also presented a memorandum to the Chief Minister seeking his intervention in Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry for a special package for revival of DD Kashir’s software on themes of entertainment and cultural heritage and up-gradation of DD Kendra Srinagar, in terms of hardware/software and enhancement of annual budget for its smooth functioning. Another delegation of Urdu Mahaz, led by Javed Matjee, also called on the Chief Minister and presented a memorandum related to the promotion of Urdu language in the state. The Chief Minister assured the delegations to have their demands looked into for appropriate action.
