An Appeal to MNREGA in Barmer, Thar

Combating Drought for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage

Barmer region is richly endowed with exquisite cultural traditions be it textiles, woodwork, or folk music. These are famous both nationally and globally. Folk musicians from Barmer and Jaisalmer have proudly represented Government India in many august cultural performances in India as well as abroad. And textile traditions of Barmer are some of the finest folk culture traditions of India.

It is quite paradoxical that musicians known nationally and globally for their ecstatic renditions, enticing overtures and robust dissemination of secular culture are languishing away in destitution.

There are around 35000 families of artisans, ten thousand weavers and around as many folk musician families in Barmer and Jaisalmer districts. A majority of them continue to dwell in rudimentary habitations and have poor access to basic needs of habitat, education, health and social security for the old and destitute among them. Most of these communities occupy the lower rungs of the society and have long survived as fringe groups, stigmatized, subordinated and discriminated against in access to natural resources.

There are hardly any govt. policies or schemes that deal with developing collective initiative around the promoting entrepreneurial growth among these marginal practitioners of culture. The pervasive economic recession has badly hit the trade in handicrafts and opportunities of folk singers for performances outside.

As the specter of an extended period of heightened scarcity haunts the region they would have no option but to try and access drought relief work that involves digging earth, uprooting bushes, etc that does not build upon their existing skills. This has been the stock emergency drought relief response of the state year after year.

NREGA is an opportunity for creating sustainable rural livelihoods through rejuvenation of productive capabilities of rural people. And many of these capabilities lie in the robust folk cultural traditions of people. These communities need opportunities to graduate from mere wage employment to sustainable rural livelihoods and hence realizing right to dignified work and reduction of vulnerabilities.

We humbly request the GoI to consider the following options for these bearers of the intangible cultural heritage of the Thar:

· Provision of at 200 days of work in a year for weavers and other craftspeople in sustainable livelihood generation interventions that support the primary producers in developing backward and forward linkages.

· Provision of recreation and awareness programmes by folk musicians on drought relief work sites and public places.

· Recognition of folk music skills as viable for developing sustainable livelihoods and provide trainings to young artists in singing, making and playing instruments, etc.

· Opportunities to folk musicians for live performances in cities and metros of India.

Text of the Memorandum Submitted by Society to Uplift Rural economy (SURE) & Marudhar Lok Kala Kendra (MLKK) to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India on 29th August 2009 during his visit to Barmer to inaugurate Cairn India’s Mangala oil fields in Rajasthan,

For more on work with folk musicians of Barmer, please click

Contact:

Lata Kachhawaha- 09414107465

Narendra Tansukhani- 09414200892