Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), established in the year 1985 is a self-directed institute under the department of culture, and proposed as a venue for educational research, investigation and broadcasting in the field of the arts. It is a self-ruling institute under the Ministry of Culture and its headquarters is at C.V. Mess, Janpath New Delhi.

This education hub was started on 19 November 1985 in the memory of legend Indira Gandhi by the late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. The foremost founder of IGNCA was Kapila Vatsyayan, leading Indian scholar of classical dance and art, architecture and art historian. 

At the time of inauguration, the five components – water, fire, earth, sky and vegetation - were brought all together. Five rock from five religious rivers - , Ganga, Kaveri, Mahanadi, Sindhu and the Narmada were collected into sculptural manner and these will stay at the venue as symbol of the antiquity of Indian principles. 

The IGNCA work under Board of Trustees, which offer regular support to provide general direction about the work procedures. And the Executive community, acts as a connection between the institute and trust. On the other hand, “the Member Secretary” is the senior executive of both IGNCA as well as managerial department.

The IGNCA is deemed as a leading destination related to the study and experience of all the arts-each form with its own uprightness, however within a range of joint interdependence, correlated with nature, public structure and cosmology.

This opinion of the arts, combined with, and important to the grander matrix of human culture, is predicated upon Smt. Indira Gandhi's acknowledgement of the role of the arts as a fundamental to the essential quality of person, at home, society as well as for himself/herself. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), contributes of the holistic global view to effectively articulate throughout Indian tradition, and focus on modern Indian leaders like from Mahatma Gandhi to Rabindranath Tagore.

Till today it works hard with the following objectives and aims like serve as a key destination for the arts, specially written, oral as well as visual foundation materials; to expand strong network between national and international institutes. And to render an opportunity for an innovative and impressive dialogue through effective presentations, events, multi-media projections, meetings and promotional workshops amongst the different arts, traditional and contemporary. 

The Five Tree

In the initial days, the five trees which are most noteworthy in Indian farming were planted at the venue by Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. These trees are related with the various divisions and replanted time-to-time. 

The Asvattha also acknowledged as the Bodhi tree, representing information about
analysis of one's own sensible thoughts and feelings; the continuous journey of delving into the self and human awareness for future education, is the first principle of the institute. It is the vital conceptual pillar. 

The Nyagrodha typically refereed as the upside down tree, a tree which easily grows in rich proportion, and is deemed as the root of the abstract symbol because it is the special tree as its branches grows its roots and vice-versa. The tree is considered as second pillar of the institute.  

The Asoka, an ancient tree its name is derived from the great emperor “Asoka, means, with happiness. The tree as well as the name have offered most essential motifs to Indian art. Symbolizing fertility, it encompasses the classical and medieval arts. It is as vital in the biological study as in metaphysics and the artistic customs. The tree symbolizes the interdisciplinary attitude, the third significant principle of the Centre. 

The Arjuna tree is symbol of pureness and clearness. Intellectual rigor, directness and honor, become the 4th principle of the IGNCA. Through its wider range reference work programs it is believed that a clearness and perfectly balanced outlook of the Indian arts will be noticeable.  

The Kadamba tree, the sweet-smelling flower tree expressive joy and music, is the 5th principle of this Centre.