Special features of the organization
On 19th July,1981, Natya Shodh Sansthan began its journey as a theatre archive from 11 Pretoria Street, Kolkata, as a unit of Upchar Trust with Geeta Sen rendition of Bangla theatre songs as the inaugural programme. , Theatre lovers of the city and outside were gradually becoming aware of the meaningful job being done there. At Lee Road, Sansthan housed books, magazines, audio and video recordings, photographs, models of outstanding sets, masks, rare books and materials, Seminars, discussions and talks were regularly organized to record various aspects of histrionics on a pan-Indian level. , Sansthans journey reached a milestone when the Government of West Bengal leased 9 cottahs of land to Upchar Trust where Sansthan built Natya Bhavan to continue its activities. , In 1996,Girish Karnad, the noted playwright and actor laid the foundation stone of Natya Bhavan. , Sri Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, the then Deputy Chief Minister, Govt. of West Bengal inaugurated the new building in 2000, constructed with financial aid from Upchar Trust, the Government of India, Government of West Bengal, Ford Foundation, Trusts and individuals. , The year 2006 saw the Sansthan celebrating its Silver Jubilee and the institution has since then moved on to gradually become a research and information centre, documenting the growth and present trends of Indian theatre. , Sections in the Archive- 1. Library and Cover-file (Records) with reading room facilities, 2. Audio Library, 3. Video Library, 4. Photograph Library, 5. Research and Publication Section. , Heritage Library - Sansthan has set up a Heritage Library, based on the premise that theatre-studies need to be located in the broader canvas of the heritage/history of multiple disciplines of Anthropology, Astronomy, Astrology, Archaeology, Architecture, Culture, Geo-politics, Geography History, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Sociology, the Arts, both visual and performing etc. , With cultural-history being regarded as a rich source of understanding the heritage and the cultural tradition of a country, materials stored in an archive may be made use of in the fullest possible way from a spectators point of view. , The Sansthan is setting up a Theatre Museum at Natya Bhavan with financial aid from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Under the Museum Grant Scheme.
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