Utsav Rock Garden Gotgodi Near Shiggaon : a perfect showcasing of folk Art forms which are vanishing in the context of globalization, which has influenced the remote corners of the world……

                                                                As I remember, the project started almost three to four decades back. It is one man’s vision which has been materialized and zoomed to its zenith. No one had ever thought that the artist, the man behind the project, had nourished such a beautiful mega vision in the depth of his mind and a strong desire for it in the secret corner of his heart, all these years. To speak about the project, it is almost similar to the Rock Garden of Chandigrah by Nekchand, in vision,  but the concept and outcome are totally different. It took years to realize his dream, a splendid dream in fact. The man behind this project is artist Sri T.B.Solbakkanavar. Before taking up this project, he was teaching at an art college,in Davangere, Karnataka. He took voluntary retirement to pursue his dream, which indeed was a very daring step in those days. His faith, commitment and perseverance finally have crowned him with fulfillment and success. His relatives too  have supported for this project.

Artist Sri T.B.Solabakkanavar in the centre

   

     To understand the value of this project, an understanding of the prevailing changes across the world is imperative.  The tentacles of globalization have touched the remote corners of the globe, bringing lot of cultural changes in villages too. A  close survey discloses that the people in the villages too have  switched to modern ways and have got accustomed to new technology and trendy gadgets, discarding their age old methods and objects. With the advent of new technology and villagers’ openness in embracing modernity, life has become easier and comfortable now, even in villages  As a result, the gap between the city and village culture is collapsing very fast these days. Folk Art, Folk Literature, Folk Music and Folk Dance are all the outcome of folk life lived and experienced richly in villages are slowly fading. To preserve our traditional forms, be it literature, dance, music or art, for the posterity, one has to make herculean efforts to revive these forms through contemporizing and making it suitable for the usage of present generation.

 It is very difficult to document folk literature and music especially, as these have been handed over from generation to generation, through oral tradition, whereas the folk art forms have continued as rituals in daily life even today.

   

The artist Solbakkanavar wanted to recreate the fading faces of village life and culture at Gotagodi with his undying enthusiasm, for the posterity. The project materialized after  many years’of effort and hard work. In this site, he has tried to recreate the routine activities of village life which ceased to exist almost decades’ back. A vast land, acres of land, has been used for this dream project, and artists working day and night  here have turned this space into a beautiful open museum.It has become one of the best locations for the nearby  high school students to visit for an educational trip. Situated near a town called Shiggaon, and the place is known as Ustav-Rock-Garden.The visit to this site definitely gives students a deeper knowledge of folk material culture -- grinding-stone, flour-making stones,and old lanterns-- the list snakes.  Nearly thirty thousand people visit this site every day and during the holidays it exceeds more than fifty thousand.

             

                              The village atmosphere has been recreated here by building houses, shops, cattle sheds, huts and so on sequentially. Life size sculptures made in cement and plaster of Paris inhibit the houses and shops with rich colorful folk costumes and ornaments. Vessels, mud pots, and other objects of  of significance relevant to different situations and rituals of folk life have been collected and installed here to represent the rich heritage of village life. The recreated cattle shed is a master piece – life size buffaloes,oxen, and cows stand majestically in this space -- the mirror images of these robust animals engaged in different actions doubles the visual appeal to the viewers. Life sized folk women sculptures, dressed up in saris and blouses with typicle folk design and colors, immersed in diverse activities like cradling, grinding, cleaning, harvesting make the folk literature and songs come alive once again. The village life scenes with all the details presented here show how life has evolved gradually. Along with this, the important historical personalities of this region also have been covered with suitable background. These visuals enlighten the students who visit this place. The artists engaged here keep on experimenting with new materials and methods and come up with creative outcomes. The diverse subjects handled sensitively make this site interesting and informative.

     

By Gayatri Desai