Introduction In June 1988 the Kasauh Art Centre in collaboration with the Journal of Arts and Ideas, organized a week-long seminar A Critique of Contemporary Culture The brief was prepared by Ashish Rjjadhyaksha and myself The persons who attended the seminar were Kumar Sharnni Culdm jheikh Arun IKhopkar, Sus»e Fham, Mohan Mahanshi, VK Krishna Menon, Kumkurh Sangan/ ^nmadha Kdpur, Madan Gopal Smgh, Anup Smgh, Vivan Sundaram/Sanpv } Bi u.Sudipta Kaviraj Professor RavmderKumar was present for the first few sessi ms As^^n irKJ^prcco corn enois ana pdrikipants rheJo^rWius several times organi/cJ this kind )1 a ^ ming togethc r The f^rm of a ^ mm ^ ^ sikh th 4 polcm ^ mu ^ rertdin degsee o! 101 ientiousnes^ an* ^tagid ^ ith i^ory iflor^ novu \ u lo cont''oic\s.es esof any kind, L^CII the excess of mutual regard, ior fear 01 sent^ itnldli2mg mtellLC tiidl purpose there is a professional Lode of \ OK e and stcinc<. in serrsina^s ^hich onlike todis o! pvrformancc yields nc^ moie ^han a mdrkiisg wstens of rclatwe elfiucr»o 111 Q scours it ^uppr ^se b<^th i astertii! future dnd thai pecui'ar Icnor of speech when th ^n^oi su ^ds St rfdtes dnd mf i^ 1° utterance dnd ^ ln?t ^•? in per tor man i-e Atthisscmipa* where arlisls,(.rilics,acidemit^participd fed, iliepn ^ & !l^^ nok ua^ one ^-ha1' ^i a)nicmporar^ is "^in irialie^kb1. onctrn am that't^ u^^encv irust b( tested out throug'idivours^iw tnati! i^lcvi Dtriii^ssugKest-* cull^ i^ ^ 11^ inK-sgincrv soluison^ to rial contiauictions then ^he .magiii^) mu^l 01 inxesltd ^if-li i^xm energy that is onclucivc lopradii^ A ihe tame ihi^ ^cmmd^ was L )na utd hx. in ^od ^as If t^c st )ck in a quite practical senst dnc^ to ^ork out .A^ays to rcsi^i tni t imiiur DUI h gh^ 11^ (?rn!? iiHjn F)rdfl td^) o'l^sit d (rstiqui nt v 1^ lit j s( nst d failure oii our parf /'cpIar^J -is il was by a s^yle thai bok i g*- i^idtliiois5 li ai^ pprhdps to an older form of partisan dialogue The failure 't ilidl is ^ h it il was hori ^ inorL PI lilant point of VILV^ was redeemed by the fact that the oigamc aulhenlic v\huk s)ine nictdphors about culture that usually surfa^i in such colloquxiims vvcic nut: allowed to tike hold/ nor, on the other hand, were the claims to mtervcnp ovu stakd \\ hat came outbc^t/1 think was the act Qiannoiaiing adtural pmctice as precisely as posMbL For publication in the Journal we have titled the seminar Dialogues on Cultural Practice m India with two subtitles for the two successive issues, 'Critical Framework ' and "Inventing Traditions'