Sept_13

Etcetera
Craft, food or music, Saturday haat is a feast for the senses
(late) Shyamali Khastagir, initiated a
small fair or haat (marketplace) for the
cause of local rural craftsmen, where
they could showcase their works to
connoisseurs. Most important, a
path was thrown open for artisans
to sell art without the interference
of middlemen.
The group chose a beautiful location
in the woods of Shonajhuri in
Santiniketan and aptly named it Khoai
Boner Onyo Haat (a different haat/
marketplace of the Khoai forest). To
preserve the pristine environment,
the group spelt out four ground rules
for sellers: no use of plastic bags
or any other synthetic material; no
fire to be lit in the area; no entry
for middleman—the craftsmen need
to be present at the haat; and the
condition that they belong to the
neighbourhood.
Keeping in mind the importance of
weekends for tourists, the haat was
organised on Saturdays, giving birth
to the name Saturday haat. In initial
years, the response was lacklustre;
some local craftsmen brought simple
artefacts like wall hangings and toys,
Santhal (tribal) girls came with their
handmade jewellery, and village
women sold handmade mats and fans.
At this stage, the initiators lent their
support by exhibiting their own works
like pottery and textile. Over time,
the simplicity and uniqueness of the
haat attracted better footfall; not just
people in and around Santiniketan,
even tourists from overseas started
pouring in. Despite the increasing
popularity, one thing remained
unchanged—the ground rules.
Gradually, the haat became exclusive
for its wares, local culinary flavours
and the mystical sounds of Baul, the
folk songs of Bengal. Juli Ta, a Santhal
tribal woman, sells home-grown
blackberries and eggs from her farm.
“I love being a part of this haat,” she
says with a shy smile. “I don’t have
to go far to sell these now.” There are
many others who share their own daily
lives—women who bring homemade
sweets like pithe (rice bread filled with
grated coconut) and kheer, momos,
juices and pickles. There are interesting
craft items like wooden toys,
masks, bamboo wind chimes, glass
paintings and handmade ornaments.
The haat provides an ideal platform for
the local handloom industry as well;
the variety includes Kantha stitch and
batik saris, handloom garments like
shirts, kurta and salwar-kameez. Young
artists come with handmade accessories
like bags and purses, calendars
and printed T-shirts.
Thanks to the haat, many handicraft
sellers today can follow their dreams
apart from earning decently. “Some
of them depended on odd jobs at
people’s homes and could hardly afford
raw materials for their work,” says
Ghosh. “Now, they can fully concentrate
on their craft. On that count, the
Saturday haat has definitely achieved
what it set out to do; not just in making
these rural artists self-sufficient,
but in truly preserving a piece of
Santiniketan.”
Modern cut
After a successful cinematic career in the 1980s and 1990s, filmmaker Ketan Mehta started the Maya
Academy of Advanced Cinematics 15 years ago to train animators. The cinemagic of Mirch Masala, Hero
Hiralal, Mangal Pandey: The Rising and, of course, Maya Memsaab slowly turned into fascination for digital
technology. With the belief that it will change the face and sound of Indian cinema, he has now set out to
make an animation film for children. An Indianised version of Laurel and Hardy, Motu and Patlu is straight
out of the 1980s comic book Lotpot. Produced by Mehta's Maya Digital Studio, the animation is already
running as a television show on channel Nickelodeon and a spin-off film, Motu Patlu in Wonderland, has
already been released as a film on TV. "They are idiosyncratic characters; Motu can't think without food
[samosa, to be precise] and Patlu is a loyal friend," says the 61 year-old filmmaker, certain that there is an
audience for good Indian animation.
64 harmony celebrate age september 2013