o! Just Me

Ten vibrantly colored pots balanced delicately on the head of a Rajasthani performer as she calmly positioned her feet on broken glass and a bed of nails. Her head dipped to pick up a ten rupee note in her mouth from the ground and the crowds applauded as all the pots miraculously stayed firmly positioned on her head. An ancient art from Rajasthan that left people with their mouths open in amazement, but an art form that must be nurtured in order for it not to be swallowed up by the imminent forces of globalisation and consumerism.

This performance was just one of the acts performed at the Folk Mela at Chitrakala Parishad to celebrate the richness and diversity of India’s tribal/cultural groups. Over three hundred artisans from eighteen states were present to display seventy seven individual traditional arts. On venturing into the Mela, visitors would have found a diverse congregation of cultural expressions, from Rajasthani men galloping and prancing on colorful toy horses, to women from Uttaranchal who had kettles of boiling tea perched on their heads, to the coy smiles of the women from Utter Pradesh as they swirled their skirts in vivid splashes of green to the sound of trumpeters’ horns, to the beat of drums of the men from Andhra Pradesh as they wove their way in an out of the crowd.

In 2000, the first Mela was organised in Bangalore to reclaim space for folk arts and separate them from crafts, and to provide an interface between the rural artisans and urban markets without the middleman, so that the profits go directly to the artists. Organised by Kala Madhyam Communication, a social entrepreneurship organisation that believes in proactively reflecting the concerns, needs and aspirations of folk artistes and other marginalized groups, and in creating attitudinal and behavioural changes related to social issues using folk art forms, the Mela just celebrated its 6th year.

Visitors such as Sunalini Minow have commended the Mela, “Every year I look forward to the Kala Madhyam festival. The folk dances are so varied, so beautiful and so effectively presented. The stalls and the artisans are yet again diverse, colorful and so representative of the culture and tradition of India. Not one day, but everyday of the festival is breathtaking and inspiring.â��

A rich and diverse history of folk art is within every Indian state, but in each Indian state today, many of it’s young are being lured by a consumer driven society driven by brands, which is leaving folk art in more of a competitive market to survive. Cheap silks and crafts from China and Indonesia create a further threat to marketing Indiaâ��s distinct folk art. The question remains, how do we ensure that space remains for cultivating and appreciating Indiaâ��s rich Folk art scene within a globalised world?

Mrs. Munira Sen, Director of Madhyam Communications, explained that the Mela and the organisation are built on the mode of self sustainability while employing fair trade practices, and on the philosophy of engagement, rather than just merely protesting against the ills that have befallen the artisans with the onset of the globalisation process. “Development can be stabilated from within the culture. There are many tremendous Folk artists out there with marketable products and they should get recognition for their crafts”, says Sen.

Madhyam acquire lists of artisans from the State Cultural Associations, and then contacts them in order to identify those artisans who are poor and genuinely require their support, as compared to those who wish to use Madhyam as a promotion centre for an already flourishing business. They then acquire handicrafts from these artisans, and sell them at the store at their organization, and also promote them by holding sales at call centers. They also encourage the artisans to come and display their work at spaces in major malls such Forum and Garuda, alongside the many brands that have their stores there. Madhyam is also a centre for people to contact if they want their walls painted in the various styles such as Warli, Gondh, etc. On every sale, seventy percent is given to the artisans, and Madhyam retains the remaining thirty percent, which they use for their organisational needs, as they are a self-sustaining organisation. However, during the Melas, the artisans retain all their earnings.

Many of these Folk artists are keeping their art alive by traveling around the country to the different Melas. Let us hope that Folk art within India continues to be celebrated and not only the pots remain firmly balanced on Rajasthan womens’ heads, but a balance between todayâ��s pursuit of the consumer world and the appreciation of ancient folk art is maintained.