Vadodara Regional Centre

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts – IGNCA’s Regional Centre for the West of India has its office in the cultural city of Vadodara.

The city of Vadodara, situated on the banks of the river Vishwamitri, has a historical background that goes back up-to 2000 years; earlier called Vadpatrak, because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the Vishwamitri, it was later christened as Baroda. Today the city is rightly known as Vadodara derived from another name given to it earlier, Vatodhar, the land that contains the banyan tree in its womb. Just as the banyan tree that grows roots deep into the soil, while at the same time, spreads its branches far and wide, so also Vadodara revels and takes great pride in its rich past of royal dynasties such as the rule of the Gaekwads from 1734 to 1949, especially the rule of Maharaja Sayajirao GaekwadIII (1875-1939).  No doubt the city today, occupies a unique position in the educational, cultural and industrial map of India.However, it still retains the old time charm with its palaces, temples, parks and museums; keeping alive the beauty of its rich and varied traditions of the past.

Spearheaded by the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, the city is not only an educational hub but also an artist’s haven. It is home to many renowned artists, who have made significant contributions in the field of fine arts, which eventually resulted in the development of the illustrious ‘Baroda School of Modern Art’.

 IGNCA’s Regional Centre in Vadodara, began functioning effectively, from the year 2018.In keeping with IGNCA’s objective to preserve heritage and to support Vadodara’s artistic background, IGNCA, New Delhi, in the year 2017, signed an MOU with the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust, to fund the restoration of the Raja Ravi Varma Studio which is situated in the Lukshmi Vilas Palace Compound. It is from this studio in the 1880’s that Raja Ravi Varma brought forth many of his celebrated paintings. Once restored, the Regional Centre will operate from this premise and undertake programs on conservation, culture and art (modern, contemporary and tribal) with respect to Gujarat and the rest of western India. IGNCA’s Regional Centre at Vadodara would also develop a library and an archive of print and digital resources for the purpose of academic study and research.

The core area of concern of the Regional Centre is ‘Modern Art’.  Since its inception, R.C. Vadodara has conducted a number of exhibitions, concerts, workshops and public lectures, in the field of Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Preventive Conservation,Manuscripts, Media and Literature, bringing forth the relevance of traditional knowledge systems into the contemporary scenario

Some of the main programs conducted at the Regional Centre so far are; – National and International workshops in collaboration with the other divisions of IGNCA, and the different faculties of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and local organizations such as :

• 22^nd to 27^th July 2019, ‘Applied Natya Therapy’, afive day workshop by IGNCA’s,NaariSamvaadPrakalp, in collaboration with the Dept. of Dramatics, Faculty of Performing Arts, M.S.U., Vadodara.
• 19^th to 29^th November 2019, “Gandhi Virasat – kagaz kala”, a ten day exhibition on calligraphic works on Mahatma Gandhi by IGNCA’s Conservation Division, held in collaboration with Red Earth Gallery, ABS Towers,Vadodara.

– Capacity building programs in Museums of Vadodara including, museum walks, public lectures, family programs and workshops such as:

• 5^th August to 17^th August 2019, ‘Re-Org’,workshop on Re-Organisation of Museum storage for Mentor, by IGNCA’s,Conservation Division and ICCROM, Rome, in collaboration with the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, Directorate of Archeology and Museums, Govt. of Gujarat.

– Public lecture series – ‘Shri Gurubhyo Namah’, to celebrate the Guru Shishya parampara and pay tribute to the Gurus of Indian Dance and Theatre:

• A series of talks, conducted bi-monthly, since September 2019, in collaboration with the Institute of Leadership and Governance, M.S.U., Vadodara

– Public Lectures by renowned Art historians, Critics and Academicians to explore Indian folklore, textiles, and cultural traditions of India with special reference to Gujarat, such as:

• 16^th April 2019, Public Lecture on “PatanPatola- silk craft of India”, by Dr. M. Balamani held at the Auditorium,Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery.
• 15^th November 2019, Public Lecture on “Treasures from the Panchatantra for 21^st Century Leadership & Management”, by Shri. V.K. Madhav Mohan, at the PanditDeenDayal Auditorium,in collaboration with Faculty of Management Studies, M.S.U., Vadodara

– Public Lecture on Manuscripts of India under Tattvabodha series of NMM, IGNCA:

• 10^th January 2020, Public Lecture on “Manuscript Treasure Of India: Repository of our Heritage” by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Hon. Member Secretary IGNCA, at the Dr.Mrunalini Devi Puar Auditorium,in collaboration with the Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, M.S.U., Vadodara.

– Concerts on Indian Classical Music and IGNCA Film Festivals such as:

• 24^th February 2019, Music Concert by Smt. Bombay Jayashri atSardar Patel Sabhagriha, National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.
• 18^th -20^th September 2020 “Pravaah” – a 3 day Festival of IGNCA Films at the Auditorium, Urmi School and Hostel, Vadodara.

– Lecture demonstrations on various performing art forms of India, such as :

• 10^th October 2019, lecture demonstration on “Journey of Garba, from Religious to Social”, by Smt.Parul Patel at the Auditorium of the Postal Training Centre, Vadodara.
• 24^th December 2019, lecture demonstration on “The role of women in Kathakali, a male dominated art form – a socio cultural analysis” by Dr. HaripriyaNamboodiri, at the Play Box, Dept. of Dramatics, Faculty of Performing arts, M.S.U. Vadodara.

– Hands-on workshops for college students in fine arts and applied arts such as;

• 6^th to 12^th July 2019, Paper Mache workshop by Shri. ChanderParkash, at the Mural Dept., in collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S.U. of Baroda, Vadodara.

 

Thus the IGNCA’s Regional Centre, Vadodara, is dedicated to promoting and preserving the region’s art, culture, lifestyle, literature and performance traditions.The Centre also undertakes cultural studies of the surrounding regions and conducts academic and artistic events for effective dissemination of ancient Indian art and knowledge systems; both tangible and intangible.

Contact Details

Ms. Arupa Lahiry, Regional Director, IGNCA, Regional Centre -Vadodara,
C/O Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust, Lukshmi Vilas Palace Compound, J.N. Marg, Vadodara – 390001, Gujarat

Contact No : +9836050404 | E-mail: arupa[dot]dreams[at]gmail[dot]com, igncavrc[at]gmail[dot]com