Scheme of Extending Grants for the Publication of Rare Books on Arts

What is the rare books publication grant?

Scheme of Extending Grants for the Publication of Rare Books on Arts is a publication subsidy operated by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, the state's apex body for Eyal (literature), Isai (music) and Natakam (drama), under the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu.

The problem the scheme addresses is a narrow but real one. Books documenting rare Tamil art forms, a dying folk theatre tradition, a regional percussion style, the technique of an instrument played by very few people, have almost no commercial market. A scholar who has spent years on such a subject cannot find a publisher willing to carry the printing cost. Tamil Nadu therefore sanctions the money directly to the writer so that the book gets printed.

How much the grant is worth. The Department of Art and Culture's Policy Note for 2025-26 records that financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each was sanctioned to five authors for publishing books on rare and valuable arts in Tamil, totalling Rs 10 lakh, and that the orders were handed over by the Chief Minister at the Secretariat on 26 February 2025. Older descriptions of the scheme state a much smaller formula, 60 per cent of the total printing cost of 1,000 copies, or Rs 15,000, whichever is less. An author planning a proposal should work to the current Policy Note figure and confirm the applicable rate with the Manram, since the two figures reflect different periods of the scheme.

Track record. The Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram states that 119 books have been published under this scheme so far.

Who is eligible for the publication grant, and who is excluded?

You can apply if:

• You are the author or writer of the book. The grant is sanctioned to the writer for the publication of the book.
• Your subject is a rare or valuable art form whose documentation contributes to the development of the arts.
• Your manuscript is complete and ready for the press.
• You are writing in Tamil, which is the language of the sanctions recorded in the current Policy Note.

You cannot apply if:

• Your book has already been printed. The grant meets publication cost, so a completed print run leaves nothing for the scheme to fund.
• Your subject is a general or commercially viable one. A textbook, a popular biography or a mainstream music primer is not eligible under a scheme confined to rare arts.
• You are a commercial publisher seeking a subsidy for a title you have acquired. The applicant is the writer.
• You are seeking a grant for a film, recording or performance rather than a book. The Manram funds those through separate schemes for drama and dance-drama production and for documentation of rare art forms.

How to apply for the rare books publication grant

1. Complete the manuscript. A proposal built on an outline rather than a finished text is difficult for the Manram to assess.
2. Write a synopsis and a justification of rarity, a short note setting out what the art form is, how little has been published on it, what field work or primary sources you used, and what the book adds.
3. Obtain an itemised printing quotation from a press, covering composing, paper, printing and binding for the proposed print run. The historical formula of 60 per cent of the printing cost of 1,000 copies indicates the scale the scheme has in mind.
4. Prepare your biodata showing academic and artistic background and previous publications.
5. Submit the proposal to the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. Contact details are published on artandculture.tn.gov.in. A Regional Cultural Centre or the District Art Society headed by your District Collector can forward the proposal.
6. Attach Aadhaar and a bank passbook copy in your own name, since the grant is released to the author's account.
7. Follow up on the sanction and, once the book is printed, supply copies to the Manram as required by the sanction order.

What documents are required?

Related support for writers and researchers on the arts

An author working on Tamil art forms should know the neighbouring schemes run by the same department, because a proposal that does not fit the publication grant may fit one of these:

• Documentation of rare art forms. The Manram lists documentation of rare art forms among its stated objectives, which covers audio-visual recording work rather than a printed book.
• Grants for the production of new dramas and dance-dramas — Rs 1.50 lakh each, for writers and troupes staging new Tamil historical, mythological and social plays and dance-dramas based on Tamil arts, literature and culture. 102 dramas and 35 dance-dramas have been produced under these grants.
• Kalaimamani and Kalaichemmal awards, the state honours for artists, with Kalaimamani carrying a gold medal of five sovereigns (40 grams) and a certificate.
• District Art Awards through the District Art Societies, ranging from Rs 4,000 for Kalai Ilamani to Rs 20,000 for Kalai Mudhumani.
• Financial assistance to indigent artistes, Rs 3,000 per month, for aged artists in indigent circumstances.

Which body sanctions the publication grant?

Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram sanctions this grant, and its history explains the scheme's narrow focus on rare arts. The Manram was established in 1955 as the Tamil Nadu Sangeet Nataka Sangam and renamed Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram in 1973, with the stated purpose of achieving the objectives of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi at the state level and fostering traditional Tamil arts. Publishing books on rare arts is listed by the Manram as one of its standing functions, alongside documenting traditional art forms, the two are treated as the written and recorded halves of the same preservation work.

The scale of the programme is modest and worth knowing before you plan a print run. The Manram reports that 119 books have been published under this scheme to date, spread over decades rather than concentrated in any single year. An author should therefore plan the manuscript on its own merits, treat the grant as a contribution towards the printing bill rather than as the funding for the whole project, and be ready to wait for a sanction cycle. Proposals on art forms that are already well documented compete poorly against genuinely undocumented traditions, which is the filter the Manram applies.

Why proposals fail

• Subject not genuinely rare. The single most common reason. The justification note is what separates a rare-arts proposal from a general book on music or dance.
• Manuscript incomplete, so the Manram cannot judge the content.
• No printing quotation, leaving the grant amount unsupported.
• Already published, which removes the purpose of a publication grant.
• Limited annual sanctions. Only a handful of authors are funded in a round, so a sound proposal may have to wait.

Where to ask

• State level: Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai; artandculture.tn.gov.in.
• Regional level: the Regional Cultural Centres at Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thanjavur, Madurai, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore.
• District level: the District Art Society at your District Collectorate.

No fee is charged for a proposal, and no agent can obtain a publication grant. The manuscript and the case for rarity are what the Manram decides on.

How to check your application status

This is an offline scheme with a written proposal and no online tracking portal, so status checking means following up directly with the office that holds your file rather than logging into a dashboard.

• Keep your submission reference. When you hand in the proposal, note the date, the office you submitted to (the Manram office in Chennai, a Regional Cultural Centre, or your District Art Society) and the name of the official who received it. A registered post acknowledgment or an office receipt stamp is your only proof of submission, so keep it safe.
• Call or write to the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram directly. The Department of Art and Culture handles queries through artandculture.tn.gov.in; a phone or written follow-up quoting your submission date and subject is the standard way to ask whether your file has reached the sanctioning stage.
• Check with the forwarding office first. If you routed the proposal through a Regional Cultural Centre or a District Art Society, ask that office whether it has already forwarded your file to the Manram in Chennai, since a proposal can sit at this intermediate stage for some time before it reaches the state-level committee.
• Watch for the sanction order and Government Order. Since actual sanctions (such as the five authors funded in 2025) are recorded in the Department's Policy Note and announced through Government Orders, a released sanction is usually reported in the department's own publications and, for larger disbursements, may be handed over at a public event. Ask the Manram whether a sanction order has been issued in your name.
• Expect no fixed processing timeline. Because there is no published last date and no fixed number of rounds each year, proposals are considered as and when the Manram sanctions a batch. A gap of several months between submission and a reply is normal for this scheme and is not by itself a sign that the proposal has been rejected.
• Use an RTI application as a last resort. If repeated follow-up calls and letters get no response over a long period, an applicant can file a Right to Information request with the Department of Art and Culture asking for the status and file movement of the specific proposal, citing the submission date and reference.