The Hindu Business Line : Heritage festival aims to drive development

HELD in January every year, the Jaipur Heritage International Festival is not just about the arts, culture, heritage and conservation, but also about development.

"The festival's objective is to showcase Rajasthan's rich fabric of living traditions in craft, performing arts and buildings, while also leveraging this heritage to drive economic and social development," says Pramod K.G., Director, Jaipur Virasat Foundation, the voluntary body that organises the festival.

All activities of the foundation are, in fact, driven by the conviction that Rajasthan's heritage is the State's greatest economic asset and must be leveraged even as it is preserved, he says. So, even as it is seeks to increase interest in Rajasthan's culture, craft and heritage, the festival must also have a direct and positive impact on the State's economy, adds Pramod.

Music, dance and theatre will be important components of the Jaipur Heritage International Festival 2006, to be held from January 14 to 23 next year. Other highlights include exhibitions, workshops, parties, `gala nights' and guided walks through heritage areas. And although the focus is on Rajasthan, the festival will also be a celebration of the country's creative arts, crafts and civilisation.

A first at next year's Jaipur festival will be a `literary festival' with book readings and interactive sessions with authors. Writers to participate in the literary festival include authors in Indian languages as well as Indians who write in English, says Pramod. The idea is to turn the literary festival into a separate, annual event from 2007 onwards, he adds. The festival will also witness a series of workshops where people can pay to learn some of the traditional crafts of Jaipur and Rajasthan, he says.

Workshops in six areas including miniature painting techniques, mud resist prints and traditional embroidery techniques will be conducted under the supervision of local experts. The plan is to ensure that the workshops continue even after the festival is over, thereby creating a new business opportunity for the city's master craftsmen, says Pramod.

Most festival events will be held in unique spaces — temple courtyards, craft studios, palaces, forts and on the sides of step-wells — that capture the essence of the city's character. While entry to most events will be free, some will be ticketed programmes, he says.

The festival draws on support from the Governments of India and Rajasthan, corporate houses and a small army of volunteers. Local participation is an important aspect of the festival's organisation.

Besides attracting people from outside the city, the festival is also an event intended to engage the people of Jaipur and help them bond with their city, says Pramod. With this in mind, several festival events are organised at suburban venues. These events not only attract large crowds, but also help improve the cultural infrastructure in the city's suburbs, he points outs. Local interest in the Jaipur festival is so great that "we get calls through the year asking us what the highlights of the next festival are," adds Pramod.

Initiative gets street-smart

THE Jaipur Virasat Foundation has started a series of ongoing initiatives to craft a heritage-based model of social and economic development.

One such programme is an `integrated street revitalisation project'. A pilot project of this venture is to be launched in a few days and involves renovating an entire street within the `old city' of Jaipur.

The project include restoring façades of key buildings on the street and improving the physical infrastructure in the street.

The project, which has the active participation of the street's residents, also seeks to increase pride in ownership of properties and bring in tangible economic benefits to people living there, says Pramod.

The foundation hopes the pilot venture, when completed, will encourage other communities to launch similar initiatives.

Education is another focus area of the foundation, which conducts regular heritage awareness workshops for teachers in Jaipur schools. The teachers in turn use `heritage cells' in their schools to educate students on Jaipur's heritage.

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