INDIAN CULTURAL PORTALS TO THE WORLD

INDIAN This pathfinder includes information about culture in India. Created and maintained by the Asian DivisionCollections and Services Directorate Art India (http://www.artindia.co.in/)Online version of the quarterly magazine dedicated to art and aesthetics of India mainly focusing on the visual arts. Includes contents and select articles from current issue. Print version available. Art India Net (http://www.artindia.net/index1.html)Directory of online information on various arts of India. Lists dance (Bharata Natyam, Odissi, kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohinniattam, chau), music (Carnatic and Hindustani), yoga, therapy, counseling site, and performance aspects sites. Provides links to photography, video, puppetry, and arts-oriented businesses. Birla Academy of Art & Culture (http://www.birlaacademy.com/)The Birla Academy of Art and Culture is involved in "collecting, preserving and displaying museum objects, holding exhibitions of Indian and international art objects, organizing cultural performances and educational programmes of varied nature." To encourage and help young artists, the Academy organises the All India Annual Exhibitions, one man shows, group shows and kala melas. The museum includes ancient terracottas, Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan sculpture, illuminated manuscripts in palm-leaf and paper from western India, Rajasthan, Orissa, Nepal and Tibet, miniature paintings from Rajasthani, Mughal and Pahari schools, Tibetian and Nepalese thankas, and textiles. The Web site features events calendar, sample images from collections, promotional video, discussion forums and online gallery. Buddhist women across cultures (http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=5635)Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-306) and index. Center for Cultural Resources and Training (http://ccrtindia.org/)Agency under the Department of Culture that continues the work of an earlier program at the University of Delhi to propagate culture and the arts among college and school students. Primarily serves as a teacher-training facility with headquarters in New Delhi and regional centers in Udaipur and Hyderabad. The Web site provides information on scholarships, the audio and video resources produced under its auspicies, and annual reports (1999-2000). Children's Book Trust (http://www.childrensbooktrust.com/)India's largest children's publisher, Children's Book Trust of India was founded in 1957 in Delhi. CBT also operates a library, the Indraprastha Press, a doll museum, a children's center, sponsors international writing and painting contests for children, and publishes a children's magazine, "Children's World." The site describes their operations with photos and pictures of book covers along with ordering information. Some of the titles are in Hindi. Cooking for the Gods (http://www.arth.upenn.edu/nalin/nalin.html)Presents information on the "Cooking for the Gods" museum exhibition, a project of the History of Art Department at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Explains that the exhibit displays implements and images used for home worship into their ritual setting in Bengal. Features images of objects in the exhibition, including shrines, implements, utensils, ritual instruments, architecture and ornaments, and votive objects and toys. Notes that a major contribution of the exhibition is the context of ritual into which the objects have been reestablished. Highlights a sampling of ethnographic images. Department of Culture (http://www.indiaculture.org/)Agency responsible for the promotion and support of India's cultural heritage, including promotion of literary, visual and performing arts, and administration of libraries. Includes extensive organization information, activities, database of grant recipients, web newsletter "Sanchari," and annual reports since 1998 (in PDF format). India - A Country Study (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html)Presents information on India, provided by the U.S. Library of Congress. Includes information on India's geography, economy, society, transportation, communications, government, politics, and national security. Discusses the country's history, ethnic groups, religion, international trade, land use, foreign affairs, and armed forces. India - Countrywatch.com (http://www.countrywatch.com/cw%5Fcountry.asp?vcountry=78)General informaton on India. India Cultural Information (http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/%7Eagenhtml/agenmc/india/culture.html)Highlights details on the culture of India, created by Shashi Mohan and Navulur Kumar. Includes information on Indian classical music, literature, cooking, film songs, and the national anthem and flag. India Development Information Network (http://www.indev.nic.in/)Information resource for social and cultural development issues in India. Offers a comprehensive database on major and minor development work carried out by NGOs and governmental agencies with links to 2,500 organizations in India. Includes four databases focusing on organizations, projects, documents, and statistics. Features biweekly news on topics such as aged, agriculture, children, development, education, environment, health, human rights, media, population, poverty, science and technology, water, and women (archived since March 1999). The India resources page (http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/ind/index.htm)Title from web page (viewed on July 2, 1998). India--Culture (http://www.accessasia.com/xroad/xrincul.html)Offers a collection of Internet resources on culture in India, provided by Access East, LLC. Covers such topics as Indian art, classical arts, classical dance, Vedic culture, languages of India, Indian music, and Indian recipes. IndiaConnect (http://www.indiaconnect.com)Contains information and links to Indian politics, civilization, and culture. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (http://members.tripod.com/)Contains material produced by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the apex cultural body of India with the mandate of cultural diplomacy. Provides links to web resources on arts and art forms of India. Archived from January 1998. Indian Culture (http://www.indianchild.com/culture%20%5F1.htm)Indianchild.com offers a collection of Web sites featuring information about the culture of India. Categories include monuments, festivals, temples, religions, languages, and more. This information is intended to provide homework assistance to students of all grade levels. There is a brief description of each site. Indian History Sourcebook: Sir Monier Monier-Williams: The Towers of Silence, 1870. (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/1870-monier-parsees.html)Presents "The Towers of Silence," written by Monier Monier-Williams (1819-1899) in 1870 and published online by Paul Halsall as part of the Internet Indian History Sourcebook. Examines Muslim culture in India. Indian Museum, Kolkata (http://www.indianmuseum-calcutta.org/)The Indian Museum, founded in 1814 in Calcutta, is the oldest institution of its kind in the Asia Pacific region and repository of the largest collections of museum objects in India. The Web site features a history of the museum and overviews of the galleries in archeaology, anthropology, music, Egyptian, art, zoology and coins. The Web site gives basic information on the conservation program, library, lectures, events and calendar of activities. International development and the social sciences (http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=41865)Includes bibliographical references and index. Internet Movie Database: India (http://indie.imdb.com/Sections/Countries/India/)Your IMDb guide for India. This area contains a list of interesting reports based around the 15,188 titles in the IMDb from India (including international co-productions). In English. Reports on more than 15,000 movies from India, old and new, including international co-productions. Jammu and Kashmir: Cultural Heritage (http://jammukashmir.nic.in/culture/)The Directorate of Information of the Jammu and Kashmir government offers information on the cultural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, a state in northern India that is also claimed by Pakistan. The topics covered include the cultural background, handicrafts and textiles, people and life style, fine arts, dance and music, and fairs and festivals of the area. Lalit Kala Akademi (http://www.lalitkala.org.in/intromer.htm)Founded in 1953 by the Department of Culture, Government of India as an autonomous body, the Akademi promotes and coordinates study and research in the fields of creative visual arts. Includes brief descriptions of the Akademi and its regional centres, lists of publications with abstracts, and a searchable database of artists. Several of the pages were under construction when reviewed. Literary India (http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=6272)Includes bibliographical references and index. National Gallery of Modern Art (http://www.ngma-india.com/)Inaugurated in 1954, the National Gallery of Modern Art collects works representing changing art forms over the last century and a half and features Bengali artists and styles. In addition to exhibition activities, the gallery organizes exhibitions abroad, lectures and conferences on modern art, and maintains a library of books, periodicals, photographs and audiovisual materials. The Web site includes a history of the gallery, biographical sketches of several prominent artists (Nandalal Bose, Amrita Sher Gill, Jamani Roy, Abanindranath Tagore, and Rabindranath Tagore) and the names and addresses of 100 eminent artists. National Museum of India, New Delhi (India) (http://www.nationalmuseumindia.org/)Presents information on India's largest museum including extensive descriptions with sample images from the collections in archaeology, anthropology, Central Asian antiquities, decorative arts, manuscripts, and paintings. Includes administrative departments (conservation laboratory, exhibition cell, library, modelling, photography, public relations, and publications), and the National Museum Institute. Nineteenth Century London Stage: An Exploration. (http://artsci.washington.edu/drama-phd/19title.html)Presents information about drama and the theater in nineteenth century London, England, compiled by the School of Drama at the University of Washington. Discusses how daily life in Great Britain, women, and economics were portrayed in plays. Examines life in and around the Royal City of London Theatre. Provides information about the representation of India and Indian culture, landscape, and theatre interiors in engravings. Lists nineteenth century playwrights, performers, artists, and engravers. Contains a bibliography and links to related Web sites. Outlook India.com (http://www.outlookindia.com/)On-line version of Indian news weekly magazine consists of articles, essays, and feature stories on politics, economy, culture, literature, art, cinema, sports, etc. Archived from October 1995. Prachina Bikaner Cultural Center and Museum (http://www.prachina-museum.com/about.htm)Cultural center and museum founded in 2000 that works to revive the folk performing arts and oral traditions of the Bīkāner region. Initial activity has concentrated upon the documentation of the Bikaner Museum in the Junagarh Fort, a former residence of several rajahs of Bīkāner. Contains royal costumes and textiles, family portraits of the former rulers, and the legacy of their patronage which survives in Bīkāner's contemporary arts and crafts. The site gives the historical overview of Bīkāner and selected photos of the museum. Rhetoric and ritual in colonial India (http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=10025)Includes bibliographical references (p. 341-356) and index. Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad, India (http://www.salarjungmuseum.com/)The Salar Jung Museum originated from the 40,000 Indian, European, and Asian objects collected by Salar Jung, a Prime Minister of the Nizams of Hyderabad. It now serves as the state museum of Andhra Pradesh. The museum also has a rich collection of printed books and manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, a children's section, library and rare manuscripts collection. The Web site presents basic overviews of the collections, a calendar of events, and basic information about visiting the museum. Surabhi (http://www.indiasurabhi.com/)Popular television program on the state-run Doordarshan channel that explores the culture of India. The site includes information resources and previews episodes featuring Indic art, craft, performing arts, religion, cuisine, monuments, etc. Some pages not available or under construction when reviewed. Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (http://tibetanarts.org)Web site of the cultural and academic school in Dharamsāla, India, dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan song, dance, opera, music, painting, carpentry, and crafts. Provides general information on history, staff, and departments. Profiles ongoing and past projects. Includes video tour (.ra) and photo gallery of the Institute; news and tour information. Unpacking culture (http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=6921)Includes bibliographical references (p. 373-406) and index. The children of India (http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=49525)Introduces the variety and richness of culture in India by describing the daily lives of children from different regions and social levels. soc.culture.indian.karnataka. (news:soc.culture.indian.karnataka)The Usenet newsgroup soc.culture.indian.karnataka is in the general topic area of society and covers the specific topic of Karnataka's culture, history, and present society. This group is an open forum.