 Sangeet Natak Akademi - the National Academy of Music,
Dance and Drama . was established by a resolution of the Ministry of
Education, Government of India, dated 31 May 1952. It was inaugurated on 28 January 1953
by the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, then
Union Minister for Education, in his opening address at the inauguration of the Akademi,
said :
"India's precious heritage of music, drama and dance is one which we must cherish
and develop. We must do so not only for our own sake but also as our contribution to the
cultural heritage of the mankind. Nowhere is it truer than in the field of art that to
sustain means to create. Traditions cannot be preserved but can only be created afresh. It
will be the aim of this Akademi to preserve our traditions by offering them an institution
form…
 "In a democratic regime, the arts can derive their
sustenance only from the people, and the state, as the organised manifestation of the
people's will, must, therefore, undertake .. maintenance and development [of arts] as one
of [its] first responsibilities …"
The
Akademi has since functioned as an autonomous organisation of the Government of India and
is funded by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Culture, Supports and Youth
Affairs, Government of India.
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