It is said that to see the real India, one should go to her villages. It is in the villages located in the corners and far-flung areas of the country that one gets to see unique indigenous talent at work. Mostly these crafts lie hidden but there are officers who go out of their way to promote and highlight them. A similar effort was made by the Superintendent of Police of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, Mr. Ankit Goyal, who organised the Gadchiroli Festival to promote the artistic talent of the tribal artisans of the area. And in no time, the handmade goods of the tribals coming from the Naxal-affected areas sold like hotcakes! According to Mr. Goyal, handicraft and locally made items worth Rs.15 lakh were sold in the festival.
Indian Masterminds presents the full story of Gadchiroli Festival, after speaking exclusively to the officer behind it, Mr. Ankit Goyal.
SHOWCASING TRIBAL ART
Through this festival, an attempt has been made to showcase the artistic talent of the local tribals of the district. Even Ministers of the Maharashtra government were present during the festival, where local tribal youths performed the traditional ‘Rela Dance’ in front of them. Also, for the first time in the region, agricultural exhibition, handicraft exhibition, dance competition, volleyball competition etc., were organized. Gadchiroli SP Ankit Goel started the ‘Dadlora Khidki Yojana’ during the festival, which is an attempt to reach out to the local tribal population.
GADCHIROLI MAHOTSAV
The 2010-batch IPS officer told Indian Masterminds: “Our artisans who come from far flung areas have so many wonderful products.So, our aim is to provide them a platform to sell those products. Actually, we hold annual volleyball and Rela dance competitions here. This time, we presented them like a big programme and named it Gadchiroli Mahotsav. Thus, it is the first Gadchiroli Festival.”
In the volleyball matches, 10 teams played, and in the Rela dance competition too, a large number of people joined. On both these days, stalls were allotted for free to Naxal-affected artisans who wanted to sell their products but were looking for the right platform. There was no entry fee and even food stalls were allotted free. Due to the absence of entry fees, people came in large numbers, and that is why the products of artisans got sold fast. Around Rs. 15 lakh worth of products were sold in just two days.
ONLINE PLATFORM PLAN
Mr. Goyal said that the success of this first Gadchiroli Festival has encouraged them to hold it regularly.
“We will continue this. Now we are trying to make this platform online to benefit the artisans. Their products will then have a wider reach. As a result, their earnings will increase. So right now, our effort is to see to it that the people from remote Naxal-affected areas can sell their products easily online and benefit from the sale.”
