Films Division:
Started in 1948, it is a central film-producing organisation of the government of India. Its prime responsibilities include production and distribution of short and documentary films. It has centres in Bangalore and Calcutta. Some of the best documentaries produced by the Films Division include I am Twenty, Jai Jawan, India 67, Face to Face and Through the Eyes of a Painter.
Films Finance Corporation:
The Film Finance Corporation of India was set up in 1960 by the Government of India in order to improve the standard of Indian cinema by extending financial loans for film production and to sponsor Film Festivals and Film Weeks.
Film and Television Institute of India:
It was established in 1960 in Pune. FTII is a member of CILCET (International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television)–an organization of the world’s leading schools of film and television. Its prime objective is imparting of organised technical training in the art of film-making. Every year, the FTII invites nationally and internationally renowned makers as guest lecturers. The institution has churned out hundreds of successful directors, actors, cameramen and other technicians. The Television wing of the Institute mainly caters for the training needs of production and technical staff of Doordarshan. Short-term TV orientation courses are conducted for the Indian Information Service (IIS) officers and the students of the film department. FTII enters short films by students in various international short film festivals to give exposure to their work.
French Institute of Indology:
Established in 1955 in Pondicherry, it is a research centre for Indian languages and culture. The Scientific and Technical section prepares vegetation maps, maps of soil types, geology and lithology of India.
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti:
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) was set up by the Department of Culture in 1984 primarily to maintain the national memorial of Gandhiji, called ‘Gandhi Smriti’, and the permanent photo exhibition at Rajghat called ‘Gandhi Darshan’, created at the time of Gandhiji’s birth centenary in 1969. The institution has published a number of books on the life and values of Gandhiji. It also organises the annual Gandhi Memorial Lectures by eminent scholars both in India and abroad.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations:
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was established in 1950 as an autonomous organisation of the Government of India. The objectives of the Council are to (a) participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India’s external cultural relations, (b) promote cultural exchange with other countries and peoples, (c) promote and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries and (d) establish and develop relations with national and international organisations in the field of culture.
ICCR arranges for exchange of visits by scholars, academicians, opinion-makers, artists and writers as well as visits by performing arts groups and exhibitions. ICCR also administers scholarship schemes for foreign students for studies in India; organises the Maulana Azad Memorial Lecture; conducts the Maulana Azad Essay Competition and administers the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding.
ICCR has its Headquarters in Azad Bhavan, New Delhi and has regional offices in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvanthapuram. The Council has established Indian Cultural Centres abroad in Almaty, Berlin, Cairo, Colombo, Durban, Georgetown, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Moscow, Paramaribo, Port Louis, Port of Spain and Tashkent.
Indian Council of Historical Research:
The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) was set up in 1972 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), with headquarters at New Delhi. The Council formulates and implements a national policy on historical research and encourages scientific writing of history through its research projects, seminars, publications and grants and schemes. The ICHR has so far awarded 1,822 fellowships and 2,291 study-cum-travel grants.
Indian Institute of Islamic Studies:
The Indian Institute of Islamic Studies was started in 1964 at New Delhi by the efforts of Hakim Abdul Hamid, Chairman of the Hamdard National Foundation. It is the largest Islamic Institute in India. Its primary objective is to foster the study of Islamic culture and civilisation and to provide facilities for research in the impact of Islam on India and India’s contribution to Islamic studies.
Indian Museum, Kolkata:
Founded in 1814 by the Asiatic Society, it is the oldest and largest institution of its kind in the country. It houses unique treasures of Indian and foreign art representing centuries of cultural ethos and traditions. The Museum has a vast repository of paintings, sculptures, bronzes, metals, coins, textiles and decorative art. Its Mineralogy gallery has a very extensive collection of minerals from all parts of India. The Numismatic gallery displays punch-marked coins from 5 BC to 2 AD, besides gold coins of the Gupta period and the Arab and Greek coins.
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts:
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) was established as an autonomous Trust in memory of Smt Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister. It is conceptualised as a centre devoted to the study and experience of all the art forms. It seeks to place the arts within the context of the natural environment through diverse programme of research, publication, training, creative activities and performance. The Centre is implementing the project of strengthening the national facility for inter-active multi-media documentation of cultural resources with UNDP assistance.
The institute has five divisions that are autonomous in structure but interlocked in programming. The Kalanidhi is a major repository of reference material relating to humanities and the arts and has an outstanding reference library and cultural archives with access to multimedia databases and information systems. The Kala Kosa is division that deals with research work on and publications of works on art and related subjects. The Janapada Sampada undertakes to build a core collection of material and documentation on folk and tribal arts and crafts. The lifestyle studies are the main programmes of the Janapada Sampada division. It consists of Loka Parampara, which revolves around a community, and the Ksetra Sampada, which revolves around the region. The Kala Darsana aims to provide a forum for interdisciplinary seminars, exhibitions and performances on unified themes and concepts. It provides the venue and forum for facilitating a creative dialogue amongst cultures, disciplines, levels of society and diverse arts. The Sutradhara gives administrative, managerial and organisational support to all the other division. It is the nodal administrative division that serves as central coordinator of programmes.
Indira Gandhi National Open University:
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was established in 1985 to provide cost-effective, quality education to large sections of population, particularly to the disadvantaged segments of the society, including those living in remote and far-flung areas. The University has been a pioneer in Distance Education and is the recipient of the centre of Excellence in Distance Education award conferred by the Commonwealth of Learning in 1993. IGNOU has on its rolls over 600,000 students from different parts of the country. The University has a network of 26 Regional Centres (5 of which are army command centres) and 504 Study Centres. IGNOU develops and produces courses for delivery through open learning and distance education mode and awards Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees. IGNOU introduced its programmes in 1987 and has so far launched 47 programmes consisting of 553 courses. IGNOU is also actively involved in research, training and extension education activities. IGNOU has also constituted the Distance Education Council through which it provides expertise and assistance to other Open and Distance Learning Institutions in the country.
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya:
IIndira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya (or the ‘National Museum of Man’), Bhopal is an autonomous organisation, which was set up in 1987 under the Department of Culture, Government of India. It depicts an elaborate evolutionary story of humankind in global perspective but with a special focus on India. The Sangrahalaya is an open-air museum, which also has indoor display galleries on human evolution; society in pre and proto-historic times and contemporary cultures. The museum has 36 pre-historic rock shelters with about 1,000 to 6,000 year old paintings. The Sangrahalaya is also actively involved in retrieving anthropological objects of national heritage and giving live demonstration of folk culture, arts and music. The Museum has participated in World Congresses on Archaeology, Ethno-biology, Musicology, Rock Art, Museography, Eco-tourism, Bio-diversity, Indigenous Knowledge systems and Cultural Diversity, Conservation, Globalization and Translation, in order to establish common platforms for intra and intercommunity dialogue, technology transfer, and collaboration for community, regarding action combining Ecology, Economics and Employment.
Institute of Islamic Studies, Aligarh:
The Institute of Islamic Studies was set up in 1954, within the Aligarh Muslim University, to promote the study of Islamic Culture and civilisation and to study the political, cultural and socio-economic trends in the Islamic countries. The Institute offers Diploma in West Asian Studies and also admits students for M.Phil and Ph.D degrees. The Institute has brought out several useful publications on literary and religious trends in the Arab World.
Jamia Millia Islamia:
The Jamia Millia Islamia was founded at Aligarh in 1920 during the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements in response to Gandhiji’s call to boycott government supported educational institutions. The Jamia moved from Aligarh to Delhi in 1925. It was designated as a Central University in 1988 by an Act of Parliament. The University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses and also doctoral research programs in various branches of Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities and languages, Law, Engineering and Education.
Jamia Nazimiya, Lucknow:
The Jamia Nazimiya, Lucknow, founded in 1890 by Sayyid Nazim, is one of the leading colleges in India imparting education in the Shia theology. The Jamia is administered by a committee consisting of leading Shia scholars in India.
Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad:
It is one of the principal centres of Islamic learning in India. It was founded by Hazrat Hafiz Mohammad Anwarullah Farooqi in 1872 (1292 H) for the propagation of Islamic studies. It was patronised by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad. This institution has produced thousands of scholars and Huffaz who have earned great reputation for their literary work, teaching and speeches. It offers courses of 2-8 years duration on Fundamentals of Islamic Sciences, Hadith, Islamic Law, Law of Inheritance, etc. It also conducts examinations for qualifying candidates for the religious posts of Qazi, Khatib and Muezzin. The degrees awarded by this institution are even recognised abroad by such prestigious Islamic Universities like Al-Azhar University of Egypt, Um-AlQura University of Makkah and Jamia Islamia of Madina. The Jamia has a Department of Religious Decrees, which is empowered to issue fatwas (edicts) on matters referred to it. The fatwas issued by it accepted by all the courts in India.