NASHIK: Video volunteers and Maya Khodve, Marathi Community Journalist, distributed groceries to 50 folk artists from Kadvaipada (Peth taluka) on July 14th. Khodve stated that the artists cultivating old traditional folk were hit severely by the pandemic like any other community. As a result, they distributed groceries to these families while following all the Covid19 guidelines. From the last 16 months, everybody is suffering immensely due to the pandemic.
There are thousands of folk artists in the remote tribal belt of Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, and Peth Talukas. They have suffered a financial crunch as their cultural events have been halted at weddings, festivals, ceremonies, and processions, citing the pandemic. The events include KalgiTura, pavari vadak (a professional trumpet player), mridang (Indian Drum), tabla, dhol (Drums), peti, vadyavadak, dance, regional dramas at social, religious, and social levels.
These artists carry on the legacy of folk art. As they didn’t receive any recognition or financial aid at the government level and there is no work for them at present, it is important to help them and preserve their culture. Groceries, soaps, and masks were distributed among them. Anand alias Dadaji Pagare, promoter of Journalist Activism Forum, Ram Khurdal, journalist, coordinator of District Rural Development Dialogue Forum, Vishnu Khairnar, fort conservator of Sivakarya Gadkot, and other folk artists were present on the occasion.
