Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had introduced the Lok Prasar Prakalpa to extend full support to folk artistes and has thus saved many folk art forms from fading away.
The dream project of the Chief Minister has helped many folk artistes to become self-dependent, besides inspiring the new generation to take part in the same.
With folk art forms gaining popularity, the folk artistes from Bengal received invitation from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
A team comprising artistes of different folk art forms including Chhau, Natua, Baul and Khol players went to the district situated in the northern part of Uttar Pradesh, bordering with Uttarakhand.
A state government official said: "They performed for two days at the end of June in a one-month-long exhibition that was organised by a local committee headed by the district magistrate (DM) of Muzaffarnagar Rajeev Sharma."
The official further said: "Sharma came to Kolkata in 2015 for a course at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) and had watched the artistes perform. Since the exhibition took place after eight long years, the DM took the initiative to invite the folk artistes from Bengal to perform there."
"He liked the performance of the artistes and had not forgotten about it even after three years," the official added. There were more than 60 folk artistes, who went to Muzaffarnagar and performed. Artistes from Maharastra, Baroda, Rajasthan, Haryana and Lucknow too had participated in the programme.
When contacted, Sharma stated: "The performances were very close to the heart and we would love to invite them again, if possible, for performing in the coming years."
It may be mentioned that currently around 2 lakh folk artistes from different parts of the state get benefitted by the scheme.
It was in the end of 2017, when around 1.14 lakh more folk artistes were brought under the scheme. Initially, as many as 84,720 folk artistes were brought under the scheme. Later, with the addition of 1.14 lakh artistes, the total number went up to 2 lakh.
Under the scheme, the artistes below 60 years of age get retainer fee every month and the state government also arrange programmes for them. The folk artistes, who are above 60 years of age, also get pension every month and there are close to 10,000 elderly artistes, who get pension.