The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Pay more attention to folk artistes, says Kambar

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Monday, Feb 04, 2008
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Pay more attention to folk artistes, says Kambar

Staff Reporter

Playwright seeks health insurance scheme for them

— photo: sampath Kumar g.p.

Proud moment: Folk artistes at the annual awards presentation function of the Karnataka Janapada and Yakshagana Academy in Bangalore on Sunday.

Bangalore: Playwright Chandrashekar Kambar, MLC, on Sunday urged the Government to extend the health insurance scheme, provided to farmers, to folk artistes.

Speaking after presenting annual awards of the Karnataka Janapada and Yakshagana Academy for 2007 here, Dr. Kambar said the Government need to give more attention to the health of folk artistes, as they belonged to economically weaker sections of society.

Thirty-one persons were presented the awards.

He also requested the Government to offer free bus passes to folk artistes, as they had to go from place to place to stage performances.

“It is not a difficult task for the Government to provide such a facility to folk artistes whose number may not exceed even one lakh in the State,” he pointed out.

Sponsorship

I.M. Vittalamurthy, Secretary (Kannada and Culture), urged the corporate sector to sponsor Janapada Jatre and fund the pension scheme extended to folk artistes.

“Folk artistes should not remain as a subject of research, but they need a platform to earn their livelihood from their art form,” he added. Academy president Keremane Shambhu Hegde pointed out that the academy had proved wrong the public perception that all such awards were given only on the basis of applications and was succumbing to influences.

“In my tenure, during the last three years the academy has showed that it is possible to search talent and we have ensured that all the awardees were selected on merit.”

Mr. Hegde said the academy had decided to bring out a documentary on folk arts, besides honouring 25 folk artistes and 25 folk scholars on the occasion of its silver jubilee.

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