Endowment programme at CSMVS to promote study of Indian art, history

To promote the study of Indian art and history, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) will soon be launching a series of academic initiatives under the Dr Devangana Desai Endowment Programme.

The programme will comprise junior and senior scholarships for research, a three-day course on art history every two years at the museum as well as the annual Dr Devangana Desai Endowment Lecture. The endowment programme is the latest academic initiative undertaken at the CSMVS, which already runs a successful PG Diploma Course in Museology and Conservation, as well as the Capacity Development Programme in Built Heritage Studies and Conservation.

The endowment – with a corpus amounting to Rs 1.10 crore – has been made in order to propagate research and disseminate the study of ancient, medieval and pre-modern Indian art, history, architecture, archaeology and culture. Desai, who is on the Board of Trustees at the CSMVS and an art historian specialising in ancient and medieval Indian art, has previously sponsored the reorganisation of the Indian Sculpture Gallery at the CSMVS.

“The museum will award one each of the junior and senior scholarships every year. To qualify for the junior scholarship, applicants must have done post-graduate studies in the relevant subject and must be between the age of 23 and 40. The senior scholarship will be awarded to those above the age of 40 who will be required to have either a Ph.D or a publication or book on the subject. The aim is to promote serious research and scholarship on these subjects,” said senior curator Vandana Prapanna.

The formal commencement of the endowment programme will be announced with the first annual endowment lecture on April 18, titled ‘Kailasanatha Temple of Kanchipuram’ by noted historian Dr Ramachandran Nagaswamy.
News Source (Indian Express)