Prayagraj: Dr. Rama Montrose responded to the North Central Zone Cultural Centre’s (NCZCC) rude treatment of local artists, stating that such an approach not only damages artists’ dignity but also obstructs the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. She underlined that institutions should be courteous and supportive of artists. In recent days, NCZCC Prayagraj Director Sudesh Sharma’s disrespectful approach toward artists and institutions has created considerable animosity among the cultural community. Against this context, Prayagraj’s theater practitioners and folk artists brought their complaints to the District Magistrate. Before presenting a play, artists indicated that they must acquire authorization from nearly five different departments. This procedure is not only time-consuming, but it also saps their creativity and excitement. They openly remarked that such obstacles routinely impede cultural activity.

MP Praveen Patel and DM Manish Verma, who attended the meeting, listened carefully to the artists’ concerns and took a constructive approach. In the absence of Director Sudesh Sharma, NCZCC Deputy Director Dr. Mukesh Upadhyay, Advisor Kalpana Sahay, and officials from relevant departments were asked to be flexible with artists and eliminate needless barriers. NB Montrose, Surendra Singh, Abul Kalam Rain, Dhirendra Srivastava, M. Gulrez, Nazim Ansari, Rakesh Srivastava, and Jasmin Lal, among others, lent their support to the campaign.

Senior Prayagraj artists spoke out at the Jan Tapish News studio. They disclosed that they had long suffered as a result of the NCZCC. According to them, the institution’s rigorous attitude not only impedes their artistic pursuits but also obstructs the preservation and development of culture. The meeting was attended by Jameel Ahmad, Atul Yaduvanshi, Anil Ranjan Bhowmik, Shailesh Srivastava, Alok Nair, Professor Anita Gopesh, Ridhandra Mishra, Nikhilesh Maurya, Sudeep Mitra and several others.