UP CM announces new campus for Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya

Lucknow, Dec 18 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that when culture is separated from a nation, it becomes lifeless and loses its identity, asserting that Indian culture has established itself globally as a "Sanatan" culture due to its enduring artistic and spiritual traditions.

Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya here, Adityanath announced that the state government has provided approximately six acres of land to the university in the Kakrabad area of Lucknow for the construction of a new campus.

He said that the institution, established in 1926 as a centre for Hindustani classical music, was originally a small institution with facilities sufficient for the needs of that time.

"They were sufficient then, but they are insufficient today. That is why our government has taken this decision. We have provided approximately six acres of land in Kakrabad for the new university building," Adityanath said.

He added that the university and the Department of Tourism and Culture should ensure that the new infrastructure meets global standards.

"I would like both the university and the Department of Tourism and Culture to ensure that whatever is built there conforms to global benchmarks,” he said.

Highlighting the contributions of Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, the founder of the institution, Adityanath said that his work was carried out during a time when India was under colonial rule and suffering oppression.

“In 1926, there was no freedom of expression and no platform for music or art. During that period, Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande gave Indian music a scientific foundation,” he said.

He credited Bhatkhande with introducing classical discipline, a structured curriculum and a systematic methodology for Hindustani music.

"The work he did in classifying ragas and talas, and integrating the guru-shishya tradition with modern education, was not merely an academic experiment. It was a historical effort to give Indian culture self-respect, self-esteem and stability," the chief minister said.

Referring to the Mahakumbh held in Prayagraj in January this year, Adityanath said there was a perception that today’s youth were drifting away from Indian culture.

He said this belief stood in contrast to the massive participation witnessed during the Mahakumbh.

"During the colonial period, a negative perception was created that only certain types of people attended the Kumbh Mela. But anyone associated with organising the Mahakumbh 2025 would have seen that more than 66 crore devotees attended the event," he said.

Adityanath said the largest number of participants at the Mahakumbh were young people.

"Not only from every corner of India, but young people from all over the world were eager to be a part of this event. This shows that if we provide the youth with a platform, they will move forward on their own and forge their own path," he said.

According to the official website of the Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande established a music school in Lucknow in 1926 with the support of Rai Umanath Bali, Rai Rajeshwar Bali and other patrons of music in the culturally vibrant princely state of Awadh.

The institution was inaugurated by the then Governor of Awadh, Sir William Marris, and was named "Marris College of Music".

On March 26, 1966, the Uttar Pradesh government brought the college under its control and renamed it “Bhatkhande College of Hindustani Music” in honour of its founder.

Subsequently, at the request of the state government, the Union government declared the institute a deemed university through a notification dated October 24, 2000.

In June 2022, the institution was renamed Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya to reflect its expanded commitment to multiple art forms, the website states. PTI NAV HIG HIG