Crafts hub in Santiniketan a damp squib

The complex,developed by the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) under the Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs comes across as a conglomerate of painted hutments that does not offer a holistic understanding of the ethnographic profile of participant states.

The Shilpagram essentially comprises nine hutments,each representative of a state- Assam,Bihar,Jharkhand,Manipur,Orissa,Sikkim,Tripura,West Bengal,and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar.

Though the cluster of huts is touted as an ‘ethnographic museum’,it merely displays some jewellery,costumes,a couple of musical instruments and an amateurish model in every hut with clay idols reflecting rural life in the state.

“We intended to create a complete ethnographic experience and give performers and craftsmen a platform to market their skills,” said Anuradha Mukherjee,Director of EZCC,Kolkata.

The crafts complex,inaugurated with a dance performance representing various states in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi,has cost the EZCC nearly Rs 8 crore,said Mukherjee. The museums,however,have no provision for craftsmen to sell their wares. The stalls have no permanent fixtures.

“We are organising a crafts mela,which will go on till March 12,” says Mukherjee.

The centre has no concrete follow-up plan once this mela ends. “There’s a lot left to be done. It’s a continuous process. We will keep procuring artifacts from various states. We have created a permanent stage for artists of various genres of music and dance to perform here,” says Mukherjee.

Though land for the project was acquired in 1996,major part of the work,including the construction of hutments,stalls and landscaping was done over the last two years at an expenditure of nearly Rs 2 crore.

“Some work was going on since the land was acquired,but things were not working out the way we wanted it to. Over the past two years,we speeded up work,” said Mukherjee.

Regarding delay,Mukherjee cited problems in coordination with directors of EZCC centres in other states. “I wanted the directors from other states to visit here and see how things were shaping up so that they do not have issues with the representation of their state later,” said Mukherjee.

The designing and decoration of the hutments and the other parts of the Shilpagram was overseen by the EZCC,Kolkata itself.

Another issue is the security of artifacts. Mukherjee admitted that the 8.5 acre area has only eight security personnel. “We understand the need to tighten security and will definitely try to enhance it soon,” said Mukherjee.

The crafts fair promises to offer papier mache products from Kashmir,Phulkari crafts from Punjab,Chamba rumal products from Himachal Pradesh,Chitrakut toys and Khurja pottery from Moradabad,shola and patachitra craft from West Bengal,and Pipli appliqué products from Orissa.