Folk art forms of the state to be conserved: Karnataka Chief Minister

In order to conserve the folk art forms of the State, HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka Chief Minister  has directed officers of the Kannada and Culture Department to take steps to resume the Janapada Jatre in the state.

Janapada Jatre is a Folklore festival held in the state of Karnataka on weekends. This festival is to showcase the cultural diversity present in Karnataka and encourage the artistes to keep their culture alive.

Recently a Janapada Jatre programme has conducted as part of the Dasara Festival. Addressing the folk artistes after the event the Chief Minister said the government would take necessary steps to conserve the folk art forms, which has been vanishing from the state and would protect the interests of these economically deprived artists.

“In Western countries, art and culture are part of tourism and Karnataka is committed to making its art and culture an integral part of tourism,” said the Chief Minister.

SA Krishnaiah, founder-director of Prachyasanchaya Samshodhan Kendra  and member of Karnataka Janapada Academy,  said we should select real artistes and use their expertise to train upcoming artistes to keep the folk arts alive.

“Folk clubs should be formed in educational institutions and experts in each field to be invited to interact with the students. Real artists, who have already worked in the field to be selected for the training, in order to preserve the essence of the arts in their original form,” said Krishnaiah.

KP Devaraj, President  of Janmma Bhoomi Kala Sangha, a folk artist and an international performer, said Janapada Jatre should act as a platform for all artistes in the state and not only for a selected few that the department gives an opportunity to perform.

“Folk artistes should be selected from remote villages and across districts. Janapada Jatre should be held district-wise and artistes must be given an opportunity to travel across districts,” he added.