PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Folk artists associated with cultural troupes of Uttarakhand will rally to the Culture minister Satpal Maharaj’s camp office in Dehradun on Monday. They will reach Dehradun in traditional attire and march from Lansdowne Chowk to the minister’s camp office while performing folk songs and dances. Addressing the media, folk singer Surendra Rana from Jaunsar Bawar claimed that the current director general of the Culture department has divided Garhwal and Kumaon into two separate zones.
According to him, artists from each district have been asked to perform only within their respective districts. He said that this move will limit the spread of Uttarakhand’s culture and isolate it within district boundaries. Rana stated that since the formation of the State, the allocation of cultural programmes and the payment of bills has been managed directly by the Culture directorate. He said that the recent instructions given to districts should be withdrawn to allow cultural exchange among folk artists across the State. The artists are demanding that cultural programmes for official troupes continue to be allocated and paid for through the directorate.
They also want timely payments for performances. They are asking for immediate financial assistance through the Culture department’s welfare fund in case of accidents involving artists. He said that the artists oppose the current arrangement where nodal officers appointed by district magistrates handle programme allocation. They have also rejected the directive to submit payment bills in Almora and Pauri. Instead, they want to submit bills directly to the Culture department, as was previously done, he added.
