06-07-2025
From The Hindu, July 7, 1975: Folk dance ensemble disbanded
New Delhi, July 8: The national folk dance ensemble, intended to be a show-window of India's rich folk dance tradition, has been disbanded. The ensemble had lived a precarious life for some months and was twice close to disaster. But protests from cultural circles prolonged its life.
The Prime Minister's Secretariat, which had sponsored and fostered the ensemble, finally decided to close it a few days ago. A spokesman of the Secretariat, however, said the idea of an ensemble had not been finally buried. Discussions were under way to find out if it could be 'refashioned.'
The ensemble was started with two objectives: to preserve folk dance tradition in its pristine purity and to present to audiences in India and abroad an image of the rich variety of Indian folk dance and music through suitable shows. What went wrong with the ensemble, the performances of which drew good reviews and unstinted praise from critics, music directors and choreographers alike?
'It was nobody's baby,' was the general complaint of the artistes who constituted it. Two ministries also wanted to have a finger in the pie.
'It took 27 years to bring folk dance to the active dance theatre. All this has been undone now because of bureaucratic apathy,' said Mr. Narendra Sharma, who was an ensemble instructor.
Many artistes blamed the Sangeet Natak Akademi, which administered the affairs of the ensemble. It had failed to provide the ensemble with suitable premises even nine months after its inception, said Director Zohra Sehgal.
