Traditional skills of diverse communities provide a tremendous reservoir of creativity which can be adapted to present times to add a lot of colour and charm to modern life. But unfortunately short-sighted unsympathetic policies are disrupting many of the communities which have a rich tradition of folk arts and related skills.

About a year back several families belonging to the community of puppet artists (Bhats) were evicted from Kathputli Colony near Shadipur Depot in Delhi where they had been living for several decades. At that time, they were told that a builder would be constructing flats and they too would get small flats here. Till then they would have to stay at a transit camp in Anand Parbat.

The entire scheme was publicised as a generous development project but recent conversations with several evicted persons revealed that they are deeply disappointed. Some of them complained that the eviction was so heavy-handed that they lost some of their belongings. While livelihood was well assured at the place where they had lived for long, hardly anyone approaches them for work at the transit camp and their work opportunities as well as earnings have decreased significantly.

The living conditions at the transit camp are unsatisfactory and daily life is full of difficulties. They still have to go to the old place to get their rations. There is widespread suspicion that several of them will be denied the promised flat on one pretext or the other. Already some of them find that their name is missing in records while others say that they have been asked to change their old identity record, thereby losing the previous address. Hostility between various members is being promoted by vested interests and those capable of taking an independent stand are being victimised the most they said. Even relatives visiting them are looked upon with suspicion while they are questioned at the time of going out.

The puppet artists said that if they have to face such hostility for long then the identity of the community which they could preserve for so long in the old colony will be threatened. They said that other folk artist communities like acrobats (nats), kalbelias (snake-charmers also known for their folk dances), bhopas (musicians) and kalandars are also threatened.

Ram Lal, a Democracy Fellow who is trying to understand the problems of these communities and help them, has visited their bastis in several cities. He says, “Not only in Delhi but in other cities also these folk artist communities have to face the consequences of forced eviction and loss of most livelihood opportunities. In the process the community identity which these people had managed to save by their own hard work earlier will be threatened now. Instead of helping them, government policies are disrupting the fabric of their community life.”

In Jaipur they were evicted from their previous colony which was closer to the central part and sent to a place called Mundya in the outskirts where other communities like Kalbelias and nats had been sent earlier. When the puppet artists and other folk artists were living close to the main habitations they could easily get work in marriage functions and other celebrations but now hardly anyone contacts them in their remote location.

In Udaipur also they were evicted from a central place. When they were living here they could get work as puppet artists and in related skills in the hotels of this city. But after eviction they had to seek shelter in a village near the city and it is very difficult to get work in the city while staying here.

Similar efforts were made in Makrana, another city of Rajasthan, to evict them but here they have been able to resist eviction so far. However, the trend is clear from these recent events that attempts are being made to further marginalise these communities by evicting them from their old homes where they were close to their sources of livelihood.

This is extremely sad, as it will be very difficult for these communities to find alternative sources of livelihood once they lose livelihoods linked to their traditions and inherited skills. They have shown good adaption abilities. Once the demand for puppet-related skills became less they took up related skills of performing arts of various kinds, what a bhat woman described as ‘kanchan kala’.

Their traditional and adapted skills add colour and creativity to the cultural scene of our cities. These can also be linked in several creative ways to the tourism sector. In the educational sector there is a growing recognition of using traditional skills like puppetry in creative ways. Similarly the value of traditional media including puppetry and folk art is being increasingly appreciated for spreading development messages, particularly in rural areas. Television and even radio can use these traditional artists in many useful ways.

In fact, all these processes to some extent had started in several places but the new distorted policies of evicting and disintegrating such communities have seriously disrupted it. Clear decisions must be taken to correct such policy distortions and initiate efforts which make constructive use of the many colourful skills of these communities. Also the promises of satisfactory rehabilitation made at the time of eviction should be fulfilled.

The writer is a freelance journalist who has been involved with several social movements and initiatives.