Scholarship to Undergo Advanced Training in the Field of Art

What is the Scholarship to Undergo Advanced Training in the Field of Art?

Scholarship to Undergo Advanced Training in the Field of Art is a state cultural scheme of Kala Academy Goa, the autonomous body established under the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa. Kala Academy states the objective plainly in its schemes document: to provide facilities to Goan talented students to undergo advanced training in the various disciplines of art.

The disciplines named in the scheme are Indian classical music and dance, drama, western music, folk art, puppetry, painting and sculpture, the list is open-ended, so a discipline outside this list but genuinely within the field of art can be put forward. What distinguishes this scheme from a general education scholarship is the word advanced. Kala Academy is funding the stage after basic training, when a student has already learned the fundamentals and needs sustained support to train seriously under a guru, an institution or a specialist course.

Kala Academy Goa was set up by the Government of Goa to foster and co-ordinate activity across the cultural fields, music, drama, dance, literature and fine arts — and this scholarship is one of the few schemes in that portfolio that pays money directly to an individual student every month rather than funding an event or an institution.

How much does the scholarship pay?

• Rs 3,000 per month is paid to a selected student.
• The scholarship is granted initially for two years.
• It can be extended for another three years, taking the maximum run to five years.
• Over a full two-year term the student receives Rs 72,000; over the maximum five-year run, Rs 1,80,000.

The scheme document does not publish any additional grant for materials, instruments, travel or course fees, so treat the Rs 3,000 a month as the entire cash benefit. Students who need travel support for a specific journey should look separately at Kala Academy's travel grant schemes for Goan authors and performing artistes, which are administered under a different set of rules.

Who is eligible for this art scholarship, and who is not?

You can apply if:

• You are from Goa. The scheme exists to support Goan talent.
• You are a student.
• You are in the age group of 16 to 30 years.
• You want to train in Indian classical music, Indian classical dance, drama, western music, folk art, puppetry, painting, sculpture or a comparable art discipline.
• You can produce certificates of the training you have already done, because this is a scholarship for advanced rather than beginner-level training.

You are not eligible if:

• You are not from Goa. There is no provision for out-of-state applicants.
• You are below 16 or above 30 years of age. The band is stated without any published relaxation.
• You cannot show any previous training in the discipline. The scheme is framed around advanced training, and the application asks specifically for "certificates of previous training".
• You apply outside the window announced in the newspapers. Kala Academy invites applications by press announcement and does not run a rolling intake.

Selection is competitive rather than automatic. Kala Academy scrutinises the forms, calls candidates for interview with a practical demonstration in the performing arts, and reserves the right of selection.

How to apply for the advanced art training scholarship

1. Watch the local newspapers for the announcement. Kala Academy Goa invites applications for this scholarship by releasing an announcement in the local dailies. The announcement itself carries the proforma prescribed by the Academy, so cutting out and keeping that notice matters.
2. Collect the rules and the prescribed form. A copy of the rules and regulations is available at Kala Academy Goa free of charge, and the office also issues the application proforma. Read the rules before filling anything in, they carry the current position on renewal and on the disciplines covered.
3. Fill the proforma completely. Give your full name, address, date of birth, contact details, the discipline in which you want advanced training, and the details of the guru, institution or course you propose to train under.
4. Attach the birth certificate and the certificates of previous training. These two are the documents specifically named in the scheme. Add your proof of being from Goa alongside.
5. Submit the form to the Member Secretary, Kala Academy Goa, Campal, Panaji, within the period stated in the newspaper announcement. The Member Secretary is the designated authority to receive applications under this scheme.
6. Attend the interview and the practical demonstration. After scrutiny, Kala Academy interviews shortlisted candidates. In the performing arts the interview includes a practical demonstration, so prepare a piece you can present at a standard that supports your claim to advanced training.
7. Keep your training records while the scholarship runs. Because the extension beyond two years is a decision of the Academy, a documented record of attendance, progress and performance is what you will rely on when asking for the additional three years.

How is the money paid and when?

The scheme states the benefit as a scholarship of Rs 3,000 per month. Kala Academy has not published a separate payment calendar, an instalment schedule or a claim form for this scheme, so confirm the disbursal mechanism with the Member Secretary's office at the time of sanction and give the office your correct bank account details in the same sitting. Keep a copy of the sanction communication, it is the document you will need if a monthly payment is missed.

What are the common reasons an application fails?

• Applying outside the announced window. There is no year-round intake. If you missed the press announcement, the Academy office is the place to ask when the next one is expected.
• No certificates of previous training. An application that shows no prior grounding is hard to place in a scheme built for advanced training.
• Age outside 16 to 30. Kala Academy checks the birth certificate against this band.
• Skipping the interview or the practical demonstration. Selection turns on the demonstration in the performing arts, so a candidate who does not appear effectively withdraws.
• Not being from Goa. The scheme has no route for non-Goan applicants.
• An incomplete proforma. The prescribed proforma is the only accepted format; a letter or a plain-paper application does not substitute for it.

Where do I raise a grievance about this scholarship?

The Kala Academy schemes document names two authorities for this scheme. The Member Secretary, Kala Academy Goa is the authority to receive applications and suggestions, and the Member Secretary or the Chairman, Kala Academy Goa is the authority for redressal of grievances. Write to them at Kala Academy Goa, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001, or phone 0832-2420450 to 2420454. The Academy's email address is kalaacademygoa@yahoo.co.in.

If the grievance concerns the parent department rather than the Academy, the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa, at Shrama Shakti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji, is the next step, and its schemes and citizen charter pages are published at artandculture.goa.gov.in.

Key facts to remember

• Scholarship to Undergo Advanced Training in the Field of Art is run by Kala Academy Goa under the Directorate of Art and Culture.
• The scholarship is Rs 3,000 per month.
• It runs for 2 years initially and can be extended for 3 more, up to 5 years in all.
• Applicants must be Goan students aged 16 to 30.
• Disciplines include Indian classical music and dance, drama, western music, folk art, puppetry, painting and sculpture.
• Applications are invited by newspaper announcement and go to the Member Secretary at Campal, Panaji.
• Selection is by scrutiny plus an interview with a practical demonstration.
• A free copy of the rules is available at the Kala Academy office.

How to check your application status

Kala Academy Goa does not run an online tracking portal for this scholarship, so there is no reference number or website login to check against. The process runs entirely on paper, through the Member Secretary's office, and status has to be confirmed the same way.

• After you submit the form: Kala Academy first scrutinises every application received within the window named in the newspaper announcement. This scrutiny stage has no published timeline, so an applicant who has not heard back within a few weeks of the closing date is not automatically rejected, the file may simply still be under review.
• Call the office directly. Phone the Kala Academy Goa office at 0832-2420450 to 2420454 and ask for the Member Secretary's section handling this scholarship. Quote your name, the discipline you applied under, and the date you submitted the form, since there is no application ID to reference.
• Write in if calling does not resolve it. Email kalaacademygoa@yahoo.co.in or send a letter to Kala Academy Goa, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001, describing the same details. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
• Watch for an interview call. Because selection includes an interview and, for performing arts, a practical demonstration, the next concrete sign of progress is usually a call or letter fixing a date for this round rather than a status update as such. If your application cleared scrutiny, this is the stage it moves to next.
• After the interview: candidates are informed of the outcome by the Academy once its selection process concludes. If you attended an interview and have heard nothing after a reasonable interval, that is the point to call the Member Secretary's office again rather than assume the result went against you.
• For a scholarship already sanctioned: if a monthly payment has stopped or is delayed, the sanction letter issued at the time of approval is the document to quote when you contact the Member Secretary's office, since it will carry the specific sanction and file details the office needs to trace your case.

There is no separate helpline number just for this scheme distinct from the Academy's general office number, and no SMS or email auto-update system, so a phone call or written query to the Member Secretary remains the only reliable way to check where an application stands.