Heritage In Trouble

Nothing grows in shade. If it8217;s true for grass, it8217;s true for that makeshift village at Crafts Museum, too. Case in point: while thousands throng Pragati Maidan every year to look at assembly-line productions, not many of us have the clue that next-door, craftsmen from all over the country with traditonal handicrafts are waiting to be discovered. Barring a handful of curious foreigners, the courtyards where these craftsmen display their creations, are virtually empty. First it was the weavers, here during October, who complained, and now it8217;s the artisans 8212; 20 to be precise, who are here to demonstrate their skills at Rajasthani miniature paintings and stone-carved statues of Orissa to colourful stuffed dolls of Madhya Pradesh and bamboo work of Nagaland.

Reason: Not many people are aware of the exhibition. And those who know, aren8217;t much impressed with the work. Durees from Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, are priced between Rs 150 and Rs 450, but there isn8217;t much variety to choose from. The same8217;s true for Adivasi paintings from Madhya Pradesh. Simple tribal tales painted with poster colours on plain white paper could be had for anything between Rs 250 and Rs 500.