Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister of Information & Broadcasting today released DVDs of Doordarshan Archives at Sri Satya Sai International Centre, New Delhi. The DVD Titles that were released include Paintings of India, Path breaking dancer Padma Vibhushan Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Secrets of Shastras revealed by Gurus, Mind Watch, Filigree of Rhythm and 125 Years of Surabhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the Government was considering a new roadmap for taking new initiatives in the Prasar Bharti set up. The initiatives would aim to firm up the mandate given to Prasar Bharti Corporation as a Public Broadcaster in the country. The Minister assured the employees of Prasar Bharti that issues concerning them would be looked into, and called upon them to make a resolve to initiate a fresh start during the new year.

Elaborating further, the Minister said there was an urgent need to centralize cataloging, assimilation, preservation and restoration processes. The method of disseminating archival information through popular mediums such as DVDs provided an entertaining tool and platform to ensure the continuity of cultures across different generations. Archiving of material ensured the preservation of heritage and legacy of the innate strength of India’s culture. This process ensured the release of content taken from archives in cataloging, digitization, digital restoration, preservation and dissemination by monetizing content and making the material accessible to the common man. Complimenting Prasar Bharti Archives for this initiative, Smt. Soni said such proposals took the value of cultural heritage to the doorsteps of the common man.

Highlighting the National Archival Heritage Mission for the preservation, digitization and restoration of archiving heritage lying with various agencies in the country, the Minister said it was a project that would ensure preserving for prosperity. This mission was the most appropriate tool to ensure inter generational link across the country as far as cultural resources were concerned. With an outlay of 660 crores the heritage mission was expected to be ready by 2013, as part of the centenary celebrations of Indian Cinema.

Some of the highlights of the DVDs released are as follows:

The DVD titled ‘The Paintings of India’ depicts the paintings from Ajanta till today, the deep study of Indian art reveals that
Indian paintings are one of the greatest traditions of the art of the
world . Doordarshan's prestigious project filmed all over India and around the world is a landmark in understanding Indian Art. By telecasting the "The Paintings of India" series, Doordarshan has taken the specialized knowledge of art and culture, straight into the homes of millions of Indians.

The DVD titled ‘Path Breaking Dancer Dr. Sonal Mansingh’ showcases Sonal Mansingh’s brand of special artistry into both traditional art forms. The focus is on bringing in that unique freshness to Bharatanatyam and Odissi at a time when both forms were emerging out of their old norms. The titles being released showcase some memorable performances of Dr. Sonal Mansingh spanning artistic journey of more than 30 years. It consist of two DVDs- Bharatanatyam and Contemporary Choreographies and Odishi and Contemporary Choreographies.

The DVD titled ‘Secrets of Shastras’ has a set of 3 volumes containing 5 DVDs:

Bharatanjali - Conceptualised and anchored by dancer scholar Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, this series of 8 episodes bring to light pedagogy of Bharatanatyam. The series has been designed in such a way that it gives insight to the young learners about the shastrik background and links to the practical learning.
Bharatiya Natyashastra - The monumental work of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam is based on her in-depth research of Natya shastra bringing alive the dance postures etched on the temple walls of South India and tracing the pan Indian presence of this manual of theatre arts
Natyaopasana- Smt S. Sarada, a close associate of the legendary Smt Rukamini
Devi of Kalakshetra was a great Sanskrit scholar and had acquired wide knowledge on classical music and dance from the original Sanskrit and Tamil scriptures. This DVD is a collector item for the students of classical dance.

The DVD titled ‘Filigree of Rhythm’ is on Tabla, an instrument that has mesmerised the music lovers for generations and has undergone several stages of innovations over centuries, and has tremendously evolved as an instrument. The present title consists of two volumes featuring the three maestros of all times. First volume features performances by Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa and Pt. Kishan Maharaj while the second volume contains performances by Pt. Samta Prasad.

Ustad AhmedJaan Thirakwa - Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa belongs to that generation of Tabla players which started gaining respect of the art of playing Tabla. He was also the first Tabla Maestro to have been conferred with the President's award, Padmabhushan.
Pandit Kishan Maharaj- The first and the only recipient of the Padma Vibhushan among Tabla Maestros, Pandit Kishan Maharaj was a representative of the Banaras Baaj.
Pt Samta Prasad -One of the most amazing Tabla players of all time, Pt Samta Prasad of the Benares Gharana practiced for 16 hours a day to attain a
unique strength & balance in his fingers. He accompanied all the stalwarts of his time and was a soloist par excellence.

The DVD titled ‘Mind Watch--A series on mental health’ is based on a 'Mindwatch', a 26 part documentary series focusing on emotional
and psychological issues that underlie mental health and mental
illnesses. The series has been psycho-educational in nature and was
conceived and designed to increase awareness in the minds of
general populations across all sections of society. It talks about the various aspects of emotional and behavioural dysfunctions that arise due to bio-psycho-cultural factors that
affect the mind and its functioning.

The DVD titled ‘125 Years of Surabhi -Theatre Timeless’ - Surabhi, a unique institution of family theatres, has an unrivalled place in the history of Indian theatre. The strength of Surabhi theatre lies in their being 'family theatres'
that practiced a strictly professional attitude in their vocation. Unlike other contemporary theatre companies that had flourished for a short period and slowly dwindled away, Surabhi lived on. The efforts and innovation of Govinda Rao and Chinaramayya for
the prosperity of Surabhi are remarkable. The Surabhi family thrives amidst adversity and remain of beacon of hope for the performing arts.

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