Folk Art Festival

In a move aimed at drawing attention to the region, Telugu Folk Arts Festival-2004 and National Seminar on Folk Performing Arts was organized on January 19-21 at Vijayawada, Andhra.  This three-day event was organized and sponsored by Shriram Group Companies.  Three scholars form IGNCA, Prof. R.K. Bhattacharya, Head of Janapada Sampada division, Dr. Richa Negi and Dr. Kailash Kumar Mishra participated in the seminar.

The main objective of the seminar was to explore various measures (and views) to revive, protect, preserve and promote the folk arts and bring popular awareness about various aspects of Indian folk arts and particularly in South India.

The major themes of the seminar were disucssed in five sections.  1. Andhra folk art: past, present and future; 2. Comparative study of folk arts in India with particular reference to the four States of South India; 3. Lesser known folk programmes and their contextual study; 4. Folk performing methods; and 5. Measures for survival, preservation and promotion of Folk Arts.

As scheduled, everyday, after the seminar there followed folk arts performance programmes in the evening from 5.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. at Tummalapally vani Kshetrayuya Kalakshetram.  Scholars, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring three South Indian States participated in the seminar.  Professor R.K. Bhattacharya delivered a very scholarly and stimulating keynote address at the seminar.

Dr. Richa Negi and Dr. Kailash Kumar Mishra, presented papers.  Dr. Negi shared the Pandav theatre performance of the Garhwal-Himalaya.  This being her Ph.D. topic, she explained the local significance, style, rhythm and connectivity very well. Dr. Kailash Mishra presented his paper on the Sanchi Folk festival and paintings by the young unmarried girls of most of the North-Indian states, mainly H.P.; Rajasthan, Haryana, Western U.P. etc.  His paper was based on the first hand data from the Mewar of Rajasthan and Malwa in Madhya Pradesh.

Report by Dr. Kailash Kumar Mishra