With the aim of conducting studies on folk art, culture, songs and festivals of regions and to revive a vanishing folk culture, Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal was establised at Udaipur in Rajasthan in the year 1952.The centre conducts cultural surveys of folk and tribal belts to identify and locate folk art forms and also artists and artisans. Audiovisual documentation of the various folk forms is done regularly and the Institute now has a fine archive and a resource center. So far, the centre has brought out 52 publications on various folk art subjects. The Centre is also in the process of establishing a culture data bank to cater to the growing needs of researchers and scholars. The Centre provides training, to traditional artisans, in developed technology for improving their craft and to enable them to withstand the pressures of the modern market. It also caters to the needs of general learners.
India has a tradition of about 2000 years in puppetry and the style that Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal presents is the oldest and the most developed one. This museum for folk art is very amusing and has a beautiful collection of traditional clothing, ornaments, puppets, masks, musical instruments, paintings and so on. The Centre aims at the preservation and propagation of traditional puppetry, through regular research, experimentation and performances. The Institute has a puppet-unit that trains children, teachers and other artistes in the art of puppetry, which is a very powerful non-conventional educative medium. The Centre also offers regular courses, both in educational and professional puppetry. Rajasthani Puppet Show at Dhola Re Dhani in Hyderabad, India can also be viewed on the BLKM website
Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal facilitates a systematic study of endangered art forms in their historical context. Regular training courses also aim at an extension of these art forms beyond the caste format to ensure their continuance in an emancipated environment. The Centre also conducts regular training programmes during summer vacation for school children and artists. FOLK DANCE REPERTORY, an ensemble of professional folk dancers, performs every evening at the studio-theatre of the Institute. Dances like GARBA, BHAVI, TERTALI, KALBELIYA, SASARIYA, GHOOMRA, TIPPANI-DANDIARAAS, DANG LILA, GORBANDH etc are part of its repertoire. Radha Krishan Folk Dance(142 views) are one of the oldest love stories form Indian mythology .Their fabled dances are re enacted by folk artists from Braj area, Rajasthan, India.
The Kalaskshetra productions are widely recognized for their indepth research, impeccable technique and refined aesthetics. The repertory can present a wide range of dance-dramas, a whole range of authentic folk dances of India, the complete Bharat Natyam repertoire in solo and group forms, in traditional compositions and new works. The music ensemble presents solo vocal instrumental compositions for voice and instruments.