Asia's only university dedicated
to visual and performing arts

Photograph by Preeti Verma Lal

The clinking of the ghungroos, the melodious ragas and sound of the hammer chipping off marble and granite mingle with the pitter-patter of the rain. It is dusk and the century-old pink building is lit randomly. It looks beautiful with the setting sun as the backdrop; Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya lives its reputation at every breath. Even if you set it aside as an architect's joy, the University remains unique - it is the only university in Asia dedicated to performing and visual arts.

And it owes its existence to Princess Indira of Khairagarh. Daughter of Raja Birendra Bahadur Singh and Rani Padmavati Devi, little Indira had an ear for music and Sa Re Ga Ma her only route to bliss. The Raja started a music school for the princess but when Death intervened and Indira died young, a disconsolate Raja donated his palace to open a university dedicated solely to music and fine arts.
Today, the 48-year old university continues to be the final word in visual and performing arts.

"The university offers courses in music, dance, folk music and arts, visual arts and history of Indian art and culture," informs Dr Purinma Pande, vice-chancellor, an accomplished kathak dancer and former vice-chancellor of Bhatkande University of Music in Lucknow.

The department of vocal music offers unique programs in Hindustani and Carnatic styles, including Hindustani khayal and drupad-dhamar. Students can enroll in the eight-year diploma course that is divided into prathma, madhayma, vid and kovid.

In the instrumental category, students can pick up the nuances of playing the sitar, sarod, flute, violin, tabla, pakhawaj and mridangam.

"We also teach the students the principles of musicology, psychology, philosophy and aesthetics of music, but what is remarkable is that nowhere do they teach the physics of sound. That is something unique from our repertory," adds Dr Pande.
The department of dance offers under-grad, post-graduate as well as M.Phil, D.Litt and Ph.D programs in different dance forms, but it is bharatnatyam that occupies the pride of place amongst all dance forms.

Rich in folk music and art tradition, IKSV has contributed a lot in preserving the folk traditions of Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

If colors fascinate you and if the easel or the hammer is your favorite friend, IKSV has a lot to offer, like the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in painting, sculpture and graphics.

The university has 45 affiliated colleges, one affiliated research center and several examination centers throughout the country.

Besides, the intensive courses that it offers, IKSV also boasts of a rich museum that houses some rare archaeological remains and art. In its Classical and Folk Music Instruments Gallery, one can glimpse really rare instruments, like the panchmookhi tabla, the magar yad, singor yad, saz-e-Kashmir, ghatams, and the Nakul veena, which is said to derive its name from Nakul who was an adept veena player.

Khairagrah, which takes its name from the innumerable khair (katha) trees that lived in the area, is today synonymous with all that is melodic and inspired.

Published in Discover India magazine, September 2004.