Mamata offers sops to folk artists

Ajanta Chakraborty,TNN | Nov 26, 2015, KOLKATA: Folk art forms go a long in creating awareness about government projects in rural pockets. The Mamata Banerjee government now wants them to earn while they spread their art forms and other messages.

Prodded by their department minister Upen Biswas, the state backward classes welfare department has just submitted a proposal to pay a monthly remuneration of Rs 1,000 to folk artistes. The department has asked all district magistrates to provide a list of beneficiaries based on their economic and social status. Once the list is prepared, the department will approach the state finance department for allocation of funds.

A senior department official said, "The list will also serve as a survey of sorts. It is give us an idea on the number of enlisted folk artistes. The survey will give us the economic condition and other relevant data on the folk artistes."

Officials from the backward classes department have been visiting areas from where the different folk artistes hail. Different art form is peculiar to different areas of the state. For instance, baul singers mostly come from Birbhum and Burdwan, while those adept at performing gambhira songs come from Malda. Similarly, those performing jhumur come from Purulia and West Midnapore.

Those who have visited these areas to collect data about these folk artistes found that they culturally and traditionally involved in these art forms are extremely poor. "They need immediate assistance from the government if it wants salvage the art form from dying a slow death," an official said. The tribal advisory board under the state tribal welfare department which has been given the talk of monitoring the beneficiary list recently met at Nabanna to discuss schemes that can be extended to these poor tribal artistes.

The government is also thinking of providing assistance so that a training centre could be established to train future artistes. The state backward classes welfare department is looking for land to establish the centre.

Officials said the tribal folk artistes who perform jhumur, gambhira, baul, kabi-gaan, puppetry, chhau, sarigan and bachari baich (boat race) will be entitled for the remuneration. Officials said even those involved in kantha shilpa will be included in the list.

At a later stage, the state backward classes welfare department will submit a proposal to anchor festivals and will provide transport, food and accommodation to take part in these festivals.