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Article: India's Folk Culture Furor; Government Festivals Stir Debate Over Arts and Politics
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 24, 1987
- Author:
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Jaidev Baghel sat quietly in the midst of the crowd,
painstakingly carving a beeswax figure of a bull. Surrounding him
were the results of his work: metal sculptures on the themes of the
tribal groupings of his rural homeland in central India. All had
been cast from similar beeswax molds.
Not too many months ago, Baghel was demonstrating his artistic
expertise before groups in Los Angeles as part of the Festival of
India, the long-running program that drew millions of Americans to
demonstrations and displays all around the country.
Now Baghel is part of an attempt to strengthen and spread
traditional folk arts in a country that still is more than 70 percent
rural. He and several dozen ...