The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : They get help but could do with more in this changing world

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Friday, Feb 01, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

They get help but could do with more in this changing world

Deepa Kurup

A 10-day-long Garvi Gurjari Expo is being held at Safina Plaza

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Hard work: One of the stalls at an exhibition at Safina Plaza in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: Ethnic chic may be in and pricey, but for the artisans who create beautiful gear and accessories, what percolates down to them in terms of money is disproportionate.

Take for example 50-year-old artisan Dandu Bhai from a small hamlet near Vadodara. Though grateful to the Government for providing them with a platform, such as the 10-day-long Garvi Gurjari Expo held at Safina Plaza, Dandu Bhai and his friends say that their vocation is more about their struggle for livelihood than any lofty artistic pursuit.

Hari Bhai from another village called Ghatu in Gujarat says there are many artisans like him in his village. Having no better opportunities, they all wait for these government-organised expos to showcase their talent and make enough money to last till the next turn comes along. Most of them travel with family. While the women folk work on colourful jewellery, the men sell wood carvings and pottery.

Hari Bhai’s wife, Eela, continues to diligently work on her intricate little beads as her little boy jumps around trying to disturb her. She is shy and does not wish to talk, but her work in its intricate hues and delicate designs speaks for itself. When asked how they will travel and sell their work once the children grow up, her husband says that he will try to send them to school.

Initially reluctant to speak about Government support and such loaded matters, later they open up to discuss their difficulties. “We sell the fruits of our labour at whatever cost we are offered. People come from the cities and buy them in bulk at a cheap price. They touch up on them and then sell them at much higher prices in big shops in cities,” says Sakkan Bhai. The market for art, especially tribal work, may have witnessed exponential growth, however, the lot of individual artisans in rural areas is far from improved. “We do not get much from the Government. We wish there were permanent stalls where we could go once in a while and sell our work, instead of depending on these exhibitions,” he adds.

There are plenty of suggestions that they can offer, but they do not seem to believe that a lot of it will be implemented. The 11th Five Year Plan earmarks a substantial amount of funds for supporting artisans, but what they ask for is much more basic. They ask for small training camps to train the unskilled so their art does not fade out, they seek permanent stalls and help in acquiring their raw materials. “We get low-quality wood to work on from forests, but even that is becoming difficult,” they explain.

Amidst several rows of Gujarati puppets, ethnic cotton textiles and traditional Kutchi embroidery, a small stall from Madhubani in Bihar catches the eye of every art lover.

Mithila lokchitra may not sound familiar to you but aficionados will instantly recognise the term Madhubani painting, its functional name. “We were middlemen before and could not sell much. But since 2000 there has been a lot of interest. Our paintings depict symbols of our culture and heritage,” says Ashok Kumar Das from Madhubani district in Bihar. In his village alone there are 25 families who work on the art.

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