Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Lokrang, the prestigious annual festival of the Madhya Pradesh government, has turned into a commercial venture. It was originally launched with the objective of providing a platform
to tribal and folk artisans to directly interact with the buyers.
Now, almost all the stalls at the event are set up by businessmen, traders and boutique owners. Artisans are nowhere to be found.
The 41st edition of Lokrang will be organised by Madhya Pradesh Adivasi Lok Kala Evam Boli Vikas Academy on the premises of Ravindra Bhavan from January 26 to 30. Besides cultural performances, it will also include a handicrafts and handlooms fair with 250 stalls.
Lokrang was launched in 1984 with two objectives, introducing the city residents to the folk and tribal art of the state, and providing a platform to artisans to sell their works directly to the buyers, eliminating the middlemen.
In the initial years, the artisans were invited by the government to set up their stalls. The government bore the expenses of their travel and stay and the cost of transporting their works to Bhopal. However, as the festival began gaining popularity and started drawing huge crowds, businessmen captured it.
According to officials, there is tremendous pressure on them for allotment of stalls. Bureaucrats, MPs, MLAs and even ministers make recommendations, he said wishing anonymity.
This year, online applications were invited from those wishing to set up stalls at Lokrang. Against 250 stalls available for allotment, 550 applications were received. Instead of bearing the expenses of artisans, the government will be charging Rs 1,000 per stall. The final allottees will be selected through a lottery draw on January 10.
According to Zari-Zardozi artisan from Bhopal Firoz Jehan, who has been in the field for 30 years, genuine artisans often don t get a stall and have to sell their products on the road outside the festival venue. I think they should give opportunity to new artisans instead of repeating the old names every time, she said.
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Earlier, we used to invite artisans. But now we invite online applications. Things change with time. Market forces are very strong, no one can beat them. But we can look at the change from a positive perspective that tribal and folk arts have become so popular that hundreds of people want to set up their stalls at Lokrang
Dharmendra Pare, director, MP Adivasi Lok Kala Evam Boli Vikas Akademi
