Theatre and Management may seem like two divergent professions, yet an Arts Management Conclave at IIMB shows how both worlds can be straddled
"IIMB is a management school with a broad mandate, which includes working with Government as well as with organizations that work in the areas of humanities, and art and culture. A forum such as the Arts Management Conclave provides us the opportunity to demonstrate how management principles can be leveraged in this field," said Dr Devanath Tirupati, Director In-charge, IIM Bangalore, at the inauguration of the Arts Management Conclave at IIMB on Friday (March 22).
Offering the example of the healthcare industry, he said: "Management has efficiently streamlined operations and brought down costs without compromising on the quality of the service".
The two-day conclave was hosted by IIM Bangalore, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Bengaluru Little Theatre (BLT) Foundation.
Ravindra Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, said: "We need to close the gap between Art & Science as we are losing out on creativity. Forcibly introducing culture into a syllabus is not the answer. Diversity sets India apart from the world and diversity is our winning card. We need to integrate management into the arts without curbing the creative instincts of artistes."
Drawing attention to the presence of a "class system within the culture", he declared that the time had come to address the tussle between classical and folk arts. "This conclave should be all about suggestions to break barriers and bring people under a nurturing umbrella," he suggested.
Ashoke Chatterjee, Former Director, National Institute of Design, held forth on the present status of Arts & Culture, which, he said, was the second largest industry in the country but went unnoticed because of the lack of management. "The simple way to implement the recommendations of the various governing bodies in the Arts industry is to have a secure management structure. There is an urgent need for Arts Management."
Vijay Padaki, Honorary President, Academy of Theatre Arts, Bengaluru Little Theatre Foundation, dwelt on how culture brought sustainability in society: "Sustainable development is hugely important in the field of Arts. And, Culture is the threshold for measuring human development. It is time we recognised these universal truths," he said.
Padaki has had an illustrious career in management over four decades. He was a member of the founding faculty at Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, founder of a Centre for Management for the textile industry in Ahmedabad, and Visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, to initiate a programme in R&D Management. "I have worn the two hats of theatre and management all my life, but each influences the other," he added.
The conclave had two Study Groups. The first charted scope and actions such as needs, rationale, scope and definitions of Arts Management. Participants listed existing activities and programmes in India and dwelt on actions needed, categorization, perceived priorities.
In the session 'Strategy in Arts Management - Beyond Operations', Dr. S. Raghunath, Dean (Administration) and Professor, Corporate Strategy & Policy, IIMB, presented a paper on 'Bringing the strategic management perspective into societal-development tasks'. Vijay Padaki spoke on 'Understanding Institutional Development - Beyond Management of Single Organizations'.
Study Group 2 charted institutional networks. The exercise was introduced with a discussion titled 'Towards collaborative actions, strengthening interfaces'. Group 1 focused on 'Management development for single organizations'; Group 2 on 'Management of cultural heritage'; and Group 3: on 'Management of policy and advocacy'.
There were plenary sessions and presentations by groups.
As a part of the conclave, Bengaluru Little Theatre presented a play titled 'The Prophet and the Poet', a play based on letters and articles exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi over a period of 25 years, with the Indian freedom struggle as the backdrop, at the IIMB Auditorium on Friday (March 22) evening. Rather than attempting to realistically portray the Mahatma or Tagore, the actors pay more attention to the content of the letters. These missives reveal the ideological differences between these two greats over the freedom movement.
Dr. S. Raghunath, Professor, Corporate Strategy & Policy, introduces the delegates at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Ravindra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, speaks at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Vijay Padaki, Honorary President at Academy of Theatre Arts, Bengaluru Little Theatre Foundation, speaks at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Delegates make their point at the two-day Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB.
Participants engage in group activity at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB.
As part of the Arts Management Conclave, Bengaluru Little Theatre presented 'The Prophet and the Poet', a play based on the letters exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi during India's freedom struggle, at IIMB on March 22, 2014.
Theatre and Management may seem like two divergent professions, yet an Arts Management Conclave at IIMB shows how both worlds can be straddled
"IIMB is a management school with a broad mandate, which includes working with Government as well as with organizations that work in the areas of humanities, and art and culture. A forum such as the Arts Management Conclave provides us the opportunity to demonstrate how management principles can be leveraged in this field," said Dr Devanath Tirupati, Director In-charge, IIM Bangalore, at the inauguration of the Arts Management Conclave at IIMB on Friday (March 22).
Offering the example of the healthcare industry, he said: "Management has efficiently streamlined operations and brought down costs without compromising on the quality of the service".
The two-day conclave was hosted by IIM Bangalore, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Bengaluru Little Theatre (BLT) Foundation.
Ravindra Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, said: "We need to close the gap between Art & Science as we are losing out on creativity. Forcibly introducing culture into a syllabus is not the answer. Diversity sets India apart from the world and diversity is our winning card. We need to integrate management into the arts without curbing the creative instincts of artistes."
Drawing attention to the presence of a "class system within the culture", he declared that the time had come to address the tussle between classical and folk arts. "This conclave should be all about suggestions to break barriers and bring people under a nurturing umbrella," he suggested.
Ashoke Chatterjee, Former Director, National Institute of Design, held forth on the present status of Arts & Culture, which, he said, was the second largest industry in the country but went unnoticed because of the lack of management. "The simple way to implement the recommendations of the various governing bodies in the Arts industry is to have a secure management structure. There is an urgent need for Arts Management."
Vijay Padaki, Honorary President, Academy of Theatre Arts, Bengaluru Little Theatre Foundation, dwelt on how culture brought sustainability in society: "Sustainable development is hugely important in the field of Arts. And, Culture is the threshold for measuring human development. It is time we recognised these universal truths," he said.
Padaki has had an illustrious career in management over four decades. He was a member of the founding faculty at Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, founder of a Centre for Management for the textile industry in Ahmedabad, and Visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, to initiate a programme in R&D Management. "I have worn the two hats of theatre and management all my life, but each influences the other," he added.
The conclave had two Study Groups. The first charted scope and actions such as needs, rationale, scope and definitions of Arts Management. Participants listed existing activities and programmes in India and dwelt on actions needed, categorization, perceived priorities.
In the session 'Strategy in Arts Management - Beyond Operations', Dr. S. Raghunath, Dean (Administration) and Professor, Corporate Strategy & Policy, IIMB, presented a paper on 'Bringing the strategic management perspective into societal-development tasks'. Vijay Padaki spoke on 'Understanding Institutional Development - Beyond Management of Single Organizations'.
Study Group 2 charted institutional networks. The exercise was introduced with a discussion titled 'Towards collaborative actions, strengthening interfaces'. Group 1 focused on 'Management development for single organizations'; Group 2 on 'Management of cultural heritage'; and Group 3: on 'Management of policy and advocacy'.
There were plenary sessions and presentations by groups.
As a part of the conclave, Bengaluru Little Theatre presented a play titled 'The Prophet and the Poet', a play based on letters and articles exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi over a period of 25 years, with the Indian freedom struggle as the backdrop, at the IIMB Auditorium on Friday (March 22) evening. Rather than attempting to realistically portray the Mahatma or Tagore, the actors pay more attention to the content of the letters. These missives reveal the ideological differences between these two greats over the freedom movement.
Dr. S. Raghunath, Professor, Corporate Strategy & Policy, introduces the delegates at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Ravindra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, speaks at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Vijay Padaki, Honorary President at Academy of Theatre Arts, Bengaluru Little Theatre Foundation, speaks at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB, on March 22, 2014.
Delegates make their point at the two-day Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB.
Participants engage in group activity at the Arts Management Conclave, at IIMB.
As part of the Arts Management Conclave, Bengaluru Little Theatre presented 'The Prophet and the Poet', a play based on the letters exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi during India's freedom struggle, at IIMB on March 22, 2014.