IIC’s ongoing festival showcases arts and crafts of three villages — Hariharpur, for its music heritage, Mubarakpur, a weaver’s hub and Nizamabad, famous for black pottery with silver work. P Sharma reports
Nestled amongst the green lawns of India International Centre, is a decorated arch that serves as the entrance to the ongoing Azamgarh Festival. It has been designed with colourful matkas.
A tree stands in the middle. It’s made from varieties of pots. There are comfy charpais and thatched huts with intricate, white paintings on the wall that are actually small stalls, occupied by artisans, showcasing ancestral artistry from other Azamgarh villages. The three-day festival has been organised by The Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD), to promote Azamgarh’s three villages — Mubarakpur, Nizamabad and Hariharpur.
This presents a different face to Azamgarh, which has usually been in the news for terrorism. Mubarakpur is famous for its saris. Izhar Ahmad, a 40 year-old craftsman explained that his family has been involved in this tradition for hundreds of years. Alongside the stall, is a machine used for jacquard weaving. A few artisans were making a silk sari. It would cost Rs10,000 when complete. Ahmad shared, “My great-grandfather started weaving saris about 150 years ago. I want my children to learn this and take it to a wider platform. But there is a problem concerning finances. There are many talented artists in our village who don’t earn well, due to no education and business skills.”
Ahmad makes enough for the family to survive. He shared, “We generally sell our saris to dealers in Varanasi, who are connected to malls or big shops. We don’t have contact with shopkeepers. And our designs tend to be standard. What we have done for years. That is the biggest drawback for poor artisans of our village.”
SK Mishra, Chairman of ITRHD, which formed a year-and-a half ago continued, “We are trying to keep Indian tradition in continuum. Our team of 89 members, works in villages of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Haryana, Nagaland. The motive is to promote artisans and educate them, so they earn more.”
Explaining the concept behind organising the festival, he went on, “People have a negative image about Azamgarh, because of recent terrorist activities in the city. But the villages contain a great deal of untapped potential. We intend to take this festival every year to different cities.”
Nizamabad began making black pottery with silver work hundreds of years ago. From small pots, to delicate huge vases, costs range between Rs25-5000. Ram Jatin Prajapati, owner of the pottery stall said, “We get orders from Delhi contractors or other big cities, through a middle man. There are no business men in our village. No one is educated. One should have the knack to deal with buyers and we cannot do that. We are simple people who sell to contractors or entrepreneurs.” Prajapati wants his son to join the business, but has misgivings owing to low income prospects.
The best part of the festival was classical lok geet of Hariharpur, sung by the Hariharpur gharana, which dates back at least 400 years. It has an international reputation charging Rs1-2.5 lakh per concert. “We belong to the Mishra family. Both men and women have been taking things forward. We have great musicians in our family.
“Ratan Kumar Mishra had an accident five years ago, and still plays tabla with one hand. It is called Ek langia Tabla. The youngest member of the group is 4-year-old. Alok. The eldest is 90-year-old, Pandit Chandrika,” shared Kamlesh, a tabla player with the gharana. The festival is on till April 6.