Shriram Bharatiya Kala

creative arts such as painting, sculpture, graphics, photography and ceramics. The Akademi has a huge collection of artworks, including those of eminent artists like KK Hebbar, NS Bendre, Satish Gujral and MF Hussain. The total collection is about 4,700 artworks at the centre and around 2,000 in regional centres. A reference library with about 8,000 books on ancient and contemporary art makes the Akademi dear to research scholars.

The same complex also has Sahitya Akademi, which was set up in 1954 by the Government of India to work actively for the development of Indian literature. It organizes programmes and seminars to heighten literary awareness among the common readers. Its library (9.30am to 6pm; Sunday closed) has the best collection of books of and on Indian Literature. Sangeet Natak Akademi, here, looks after the heritage of music, drama and dance. Meghdoot Theatre is the auditorium within this complex.

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra is one of the leading performing arts institutions of Delhi. The centre was established in 1952 by a special sponsoring body, Jhankar. Its aim is to train talented dancers dedicated to follow the art as a profession. LTG Auditorium has a seating capacity of 500. It is a well-managed multi-purpose entertainment complex-cum-auditoriumAdjacent to the Mandi House metro station on Sikandra Road lies Himachal Bhavan. Walk along the building to the roundabout and then turn right. This is Safdar Hashmi Marg, named after the celebrated nukkad (street theatre) activist who was brutally murdered while performing a street play, Halla Bol. On this road is Shri Ram Centre. It has the impressive Shankar Lal Murli Dhar Auditorium with a capacity of six hundred. The centre offers a two-year graduate course in theatre studies. The design of the auditorium is considered unique as the distance between the stage where the artists perform and where the audience is seated is not very much, ideal for theatre.

Next comes Tansen Marg, where music and dance classes are held at Sangeet Bharati for children. Then there is Triveni Kala Sangam. This art gallery-cum-theatre was designed by Joseph Allen Stein, a Nebraska native, during Delhi's fling with Modernism in the 1950s and 1960s. The place has a laid-back, arty feel to it, which is extremely enticing. On the other side of the road is the FICCI Auditorium, which is situated in the Federation House. The building also houses the National Museum of Natural History.

There are several auditoriums that lie outside the Mandi House area. Important among these are the AIFACS