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SAHITYA AKADEMI The proposal to establish a National Academy of Letters in India had been under the consideration of the British Government of the country long before independence. In 1944, the Government of India accepted in principle a proposal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal that a National Cultural trust should be set up to encourage cultural activities in all fields. After freedom, the proposal was pursued by the Independent Government of India, while convened a series of conferences to work out the details. Consensus emerged in favour of establishing three National Academies one of letters, another for visual arts and the third of dance, drama and music. Abul Kalam Azad, the then Union Minister of Education, was of the opinion that "if we had waited for the Academy to grow up from below, we might have had to wait till the Greek Kalends." It was felt that there was no alternative to government taking the initiative to set up the Academies. The