The Hindu : Karnataka News : Delay in setting up folklore centre causing concern among artistes

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Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Delay in setting up folklore centre causing concern among artistes

Muralidhara Khajane

The Karnataka Folklore Study Centre will come up on Malemahadeshwara Hills

— Photo: M.A. Sriram

PERFECT LOCATION: Malemahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district where the Karnataka Folklore Study Centre will come up.

MYSORE: With imposition of President’s Rule in Karnataka in November last, there has been an inordinate delay in expediting a few programmes envisaged by the previous government as far as art and culture is concerned.

One among such programmes is the setting up of the Karnataka Folklore Study Centre (KFSC) on the Malemahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district to protect and promote folk culture, which is facing a threat because of the influence of globalisation.

The delay by the government in expediting work on establishing the KFSC, which is said to be the first of its kind in the country, has become a cause of concern for the folklore community.

Folklore experts are attributing the lack of political will, self-centeredness and regional feelings for the delay in realising the ambitious dream to set up the centre.

The process of setting up of the centre, for which the foundation stone was laid by the former Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy, when he was in power, is moving at a snail’s pace and the delay has disappointed the folklore community.

The previous coalition government had allocated Rs. 3 crore for setting up the centre in the budget and the former Minister for Kannada and Culture, Mahadeva Prasad, took keen interest in the project. The decision to set up the centre on the Malemahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district was widely welcomed by folklorists because of the heritage value and eco-tourism potential of the place.

It is the land of Manteswamy and Siddappaji who had contributed to the rich folk heritage of the land. However, despite earmarking funds for establishing the centre and identifying the land for the purpose, there has been a delay in commencing the work.

An official in the Department of Kannada and Culture said that four acres of land had been identified for setting up the centre on the Malemahadeshwara Hills and a proposal for sanctioning the land had been sent to the Endowment Commissioner. However, there was no communication from the government in this regard till date. He also said that two rooms in a government building had been allotted to commence preliminary work.

However, when contacted, Joint Director, Kannada and Culture, K.T. Chikkanna, said that a committee of folk experts, headed by president of the Karnataka Janapada Academy, Shambu Hegde, and folk experts, including, K.R. Durga Das, Hi.Shi. Ramachandre Gowda, Sandhya Reddy, Krishnamurthy Hanur, P.K. Rajashekar and Maleyuru Guruswamy, as members, had been appointed for drawing up an action plan.

The committee, which met and drafted a blue print of the project, had submitted an action plan to the government and field work would commence soon. He also said that a field study workshop would be organised initially on Malemahadeshwara Hills. There was a plan to organise similar workshops in other parts of the State to prepare the field staff. “It has been decided to launch this pilot project in three districts, including Kodagu,” he added.

It has been decided to identify endangered folk forms in the first phase and chalk out plans to rejuvenate them. Identifying and encouraging folk artistes, holding exhibitions of folk instruments, conducting workshops and seminars to keep the folk tradition alive will be part of the first phase of the programme. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ramachandre Gowda (member of the expert committee) said that a proposal had been sent to the government two months ago on conducting workshops — one in north Karnataka and another on Malemahadeshwara Hills — to train field assistants to gather every possible detail, regarding folklore forms in the area, folk artistes, folk instruments, oral culture and related things. “However, I do not know what happened to the proposal,” he regretted.

“We cannot blame the officials for the delay, as the same was the case with elected representatives. They have scant concern for art and culture. There was no Minister for Kannada and Culture for a long time,” he noted.

Mr. Guruswamy (another member of the committee) said that the centre should not become another government institution. It should have autonomy to take decisions and the director, who would head this institution, should have in-depth knowledge on folklore.

“We have lost many folk artistes in the passage of time. It is difficult to find folk artistes such as Kamsale Mahadevappa, Goravara Kenchamallaiah, and artistes of ‘Sannata’ and ‘Doddata’. It is time to launch the centre to protect folklore which is on the verge of extinction in the era of globalisation,” says folk singer Appagere Thimmaraju.

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