Ranchi, Nov. 30: The Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, Calcutta, will soon open more centres in remote areas of Jharkhand so that people living there can learn different forms of classical music and dance.

Talking to The Telegraph, parishad director Subodh Gangopadhyaya said the centre wanted to encourage youngsters to learn different forms of classical music.

“We will focus on remote areas. We have decided to give free scholarship to students of the SC/ST category and the physically-challenged,” said Gangopadhyaya, who was here for the state-level Samvartan Utsav (convocation ceremony).

Of the 200 music schools affiliated to the Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, 50 are located in Ranchi.

Gangopadhyaya said there has been a decline in interest towards classical music but added that it varied from place to place.

The Bangiya Sangeet Parishad conducts examinations in vocal, instrumental, dance, Rabindra Sangeet, painting and recitation. A five-year course is equivalent to a bachelor of music (Sangeet Vibhakar) while a seven-year course is equivalent to a masters degree (Sangeet Ratna).

To enrich and diversify the knowledge of music students, the parishad has asked the centres to organise workshops to improve the quality of music teaching.

The expenses will be borne by the parishad, Gangopadhyaya added. About 250 students from Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Hazaribagh attended the convocation ceremony.