Save The Stage.

An initiative by the Akshara Theatre for Theatre Artists

Built by two acclaimed artists who fell deeply in love, Gopal Sharman & Jalabala Vaidya’s Akshara Theatre has been entertaining the city of New Delhi for 48 years. Akshara’s play, The Ramayana has had more than 3,000 performances worldwide including on Broadway, the West End and more than 35 cities and towns in India.

India’s culture has been kept alive through the millennia by her performers, painters, storytellers and artists but the pandemic has pushed us all to the edge. Please join our initiative to make the government and corporate India support the arts in a much more meaningful way. Here are our suggestions with inputs from individuals artists and theatre groups like Atelier Theatre Group, Dastangoi Collective, Saitan Theatre Group etc:

For Theatres & Arts Institutions:

1. Ensure that Corporate India dedicates a significant part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to support individual artists, creative projects and the creation of infrastructure like performance spaces and training institutions all over India by creating a distinct category for the arts.
2. Designate certain Government Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) to give a percentage of CSR funds to cultural activities.
3. Encourage banks and lending institutions to give loans at reasonable rates to artists/cultural institutions.
4. Empower Gurukuls and Gharanas which have preserved and carried forward our cultural traditions through millennia to issue diplomas which can be utilized by their students for employment under the New Education Policy (NEP).
5. Substantially increase the quantum of Grants to the performing arts
6. Create a Helpline facility by the Ministry of Culture to resolve grant issues on time
7. Create Arts Councils in major metros to address artistic issues

For Artists:

1. Allow artists/institutions to avail of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)-type funds.
2. Create a NREGA-type fund for folk artists in rural area who can contribute through training and performance (instead of agricultural) work.
3. Substantially increase the quantum of  the Repertory Grant.
4. Encourage banks and lending institutions to give loans at reasonable rates to artists.
5. Create consultancy services/seminars on grants and financial assistance for artists and art institutions.

Tax Relaxation:

1. Give Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption on ticket sales/sponsorships for performing arts as is done for sporting events.
2. Allow liquor and cigarette companies, which generate huge revenues, to get credit and tax benefit for supporting cultural activities.
3. Give 100% Income Tax (IT) exemption to individuals and companies for supporting arts and artists

Please sign this petition and support #SaveTheStage