The Journey thus far……
For more than three decades, Rural Entrepreneurship for Art & Cultural Heritage has been engaged in the work of documentation and revitalization of the Cultural-Ecological practices of the Himalayan communities, with the firm belief that it is only by strengthening the cultural-codes at the grassroots and accentuating the practices that have sustained communities over the centuries can the environment be preserved.
Our initiatives are aimed at benefiting the most deprived sections in the remote communities, geared towards developing subaltern leadership. REACH is an apolitical, not for profit, voluntary organization. REACH is registered under societies’ Registration Act, 1860, 12 AA of Income Tax Act, 80-G of the Income Tax Act, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act,1976. Some of our Uttarakhand based initiatives include:
Virasat, in itself is an endeavor to widen markets for rural products in urban centres. The festival is now recognized as Afro-Asia’s biggest folklife & heritage festival.
Virasat, the festival, confers Virasat Samman on tradition bearers from Uttarakhand every year. These people are unsung heroes who receive financial support as well as a citation. The awardees include:
Vishweshwar Dutt Saklani - Tree Man, Environmentalist
Jataru Lal - Dhol Damau exponent
Ganga Ram - Wood Carving Artisian
Narendra Singh Negi - Noted Singer
Joshia Damayi - Folk Theatre Tradition Bearer
Bachan Deyi - Beda Folk Tradition Exponent
Ambedhkar Hastship Vikas Yojana – Self Help Groups of more than 1600 artisan families in the remote Himalayas are improving their livelihoods through design and marketing support for hand crafted goods.
We are working in the Pipalkoti Region – Districts Chamoli, Uttarkashi & Nandprayag for Ringal Craft, as well as Hanol Region - Jaunsar Bawar for Wood Carving craft. We have undertaken several Design Development Workshops and Marketing Initiatives and are now in the process of setting up a Facilitation Centre at Dehra Dun for further training and marketing.
Himalayii Naad – After a yearlong Workshop and documentation Dhol players from 6 valleys of Uttarakhand, Himalayii Naad, an orchestra of Folk instruments from the hills was formed under the direction of Sh. Narendra Singh Negi and Dr. D.R.Purohit. Our resource persons included. Dr. William S. Sax, Head, South Asia Institute, Hiedelberg University, D. Vijay Krishna, Music Professor at Kumaon University & Dr. Andrew B. Alter, Professor of Music at University of New Armidale, Australia.
Himalayii Naad is a self-help income generative initiative to generate economic means for tradition bearers. Our efforts have spawned three dhol-damaou orchestras. An enterprising dhol player has also set up a school to teach drums. This initiative has contributed in protecting the tradition of Dhol- Damau.
Chakravyuh – REACH was instrumental in reviving ancient religio-folk theatre form called Chakravyuh. We conducted workshops and encouraged villages to perform Chakravyuh with a Garhwali script and traditional costumes and music. Many Chakravyuh performances at Gandhari, Ukhimath, Kirtinagar etc. have been held.
Chakravyuh has also gone to National School of Drama Delhi and is one of the most popular performances from Uttarakhand on national platforms.
Documenting Heritage
Extensive documentation work includes:
Grammar & Folklore of Dhol-Damau, percussion instruments of the Himalayas.
Cultural- Ecological Practices of communities in Garhwal Temples of Garhwal.
Legend of Mahasu, Hanol
Heritage Sites of Doon Valley published in the form of a book- “Been There, Doon That?” by Department of Youth Affairs, Government of Uttarakhand.
Heritage Sites associated with Jim Corbett, published in the form of a book “ Walking with Corbett” which has several reprints to its credit.
Lore & Grammar of Radhakhandi Raas, an extinct dance tradition of Garhwal.
Rejuvenation of the Garhwali folk version of Chakravyuh in the Pandavani tradition.
Photo-Documentation of specimens of Garhwal School of Painting at Shri Guru Ram Rai Durbar, Dehradun.
Video- Documentation ( 16 continuous hours of footage ) on the Mahabharat of Garhwal.
Photo Documentation of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra by a team of 5 volunteers was done extensively during the last Jat. The project covered the Yatra along the 280 Km route.
Jewelry of Garhwal Himalayas.
Khari and Baithaki Holi Traditions of Kumaon.
Cultural Ecological Practices of Garhwal Himalayas like – Jal Jatras, Environment related Jagars, Hariyali Devi Festival, Chakravyuh Environmental Theatre etc.
Hanol Round Square Heritage Centre Project, Phase I for construction of a community cum Heritage Centre was started at Hanol, by school students from 36 nationalities.
Health & Hygiene Initiatives like conducting health camps and creating awareness through Kala Swadthya Jathas of folk artistes.
Albums – We have documented and then recorded albums such as – Jai Bhagwati Nanda, Suruli etc. that contain the essence of Uttarakhand’s folk. They are performed by relatively unknown artistes, without electronic sounds, and are yet quite popular.
Our Mission
The volume in your hands commemorates precisely that moment in the life of an arts and heritage festival, when the kernel of an idea shoots up into an acorn and gives so many reasons, to so many, to rejoice in its cool splendour. When we embarked on this journey, we had no clue what the future had in store for the festival. Today, 29 years later, we are still learning. Every festival springs new surprises, some unpleasant, and somel- gratifying. One can write and share so much about the festival, but Virāsat, is something one should rather experience. This momentous occasion gives us opportunity to pause and think what the festival and its journey has been all about.
Here are some of the ideas that the festival stands for:
• Culture, something that makes life worth living and encapsulates.
• Understanding of diverse cultures, not tolerance
• Harmony that emanates from understanding
• Values, that are fundamental to harmony, which we would want future generations to imbibe as a legacy
• Legacy that is truly created when a life is lived with dedication
• Dedication that comes from true surrender to the higher objective one is devoted to
• Devotion that comes from the surrender of ego
These ideas are, sacrosanct to the festival as they are to this vast ocean of knowledge that we describe as culture. When these concepts come together and are synthesized with some material means, we travel together on a voyage of self-discovery, in the pursuit of true knowledge, the ideal of Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram - the true, the virtuous and the beautiful... the ideal that is Virāsat. Virasat is perhaps the world's only 15-day arts' festival that is free to the community, is organized by hundreds of young volunteers and welcomes diverse performers and participants - dancers, musicians, painters, potters, writers, actors, acrobats, kite-makers, photographers, jewellers, and many more, giving them a superb public audience that is involved in their art form.
“It’s becoming evident that the advance of modernity is not an unmixed blessing and it is essential to counterbalance its negative aspects by initiating appropriate measures. The distinctiveness of Indian Culture over the millennia has lain in the unique fact that its matrix has been its villages from where its cities have drawn their cultural nourishment. However, in the last fifty years our villages have suffered a cultural drain, especially because they have ceased to function as the spring-well of our
national culture and during all this time, ideas, values, norms and forms of living have tended to flow in one direction, that is from the city to the village This development coupled with the growth of modernism is bound to aggravate the negative fall- out of the modernistic development ,which can be counter balanced and negated by ensuring the cultural vitality of village life and its multifaceted life forms. Virasat is a step towards this revitalization process.”
Rural Entrepreneurship for Art & Cultural Heritage
REACH is a voluntary movement that seeks to empower communities through innovative approaches in the field of art and culture. We promote correspondence between cultures to make policy and planning community centric. Our effort is to restore 'local pride, in cultures and strengthening them at the grass roots.
The work of REACH
Ensuring Cultural Correspondence between Communities
REACH has been instrumental in bringing about cultural exchanges between the communities within the country as well as distant lands such as Sudan, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Nepal, Myanmar etc. We believe that this cultural correspondence can strengthen communities as this dialogue leads to the enrichment of the world's knowledge pool.
Community Capacity Building through Rural Entrepreneurship
REACH ensures better understanding and appreciation of rural art and craft skills through projects like:
• Virāsat - in itself an endeavor to widen markets for rural products in urban centres.
• Self Help Groups of more than 1600 artisan families in the remote Himalayas are improving their community life through design and marketing support for hand crafted goods.
• Through documentation and financial support, we are encouraging tradition bearers to practice their art while also making it lucrative for them to do so. Our efforts have spawned three dhol-damau orchestras. An enterprising dhol player has also set up a school to teach the drums.
• We support tradition bearers by getting them commissions and awards. An insurance scheme is also on the anvil.
Documenting Heritage
Extensive documentation work includes:
• Grammar & Folklore of Dhol-Damau, percussion instruments of the Himalayas
• Cultural-Ecological Practices of communities in Garhwal Temples of Garhwal.
• Legend of Mahasu, Hanol
• Heritage Sites of Doon Valley published in the form of a book - "Been There, Doon That?" by Department of Youth Affairs, Government of Uttarakhand.
Heritage Sites associated with Jim Corbett, published in the form of. a book "Walking with Corbett" • which has several reprints to its credit
• Lore & Grammar of Radhakhandi Raas, an extinct dance tradition of Garhwal.
• Rejuvenation of the Garhwali folk version of Chakravyuh in the Pandavani tradition.
• Photo-Documentation of specimens of Garhwal School of Painting at Shri Guru Ram Rai Durbar, Dehra Dun
• Video-Documentation (16 continuous hours of footage) on the Mahabharat of Garhwal.
• Photo Documentation of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra by a team of 5 volunteers was done extensively. The project covered the Yatra along the 280 km route
• Jewelry of Garhwal Himalayas
• KTari and Baithaki Holi Traditions of Kumaon
• Cultural Ecological Practices of Garhwal Himalayas like- Jal Jatras, Environment related Jagars, Hariyali Devi Festival, Chakravyuh Environmental Theatre etc.
• Hanol Round Square Heritage Centre Project, Phase I for construction of a community cum Heritage Centre was started at Hanol, by school students from 36 nationalities Health & Hygiene Initiatives like conducting health camps and creating awareness through Kala Swasthya Jathas of folk artistes.
Albums - We have documented and then recorded albums such as -Jai Bhagwati Nanda, Suruli etc. that contain the essence of Uttarakhand's folk. They are performed by relatively unknown artistes, without electronic sounds, and are yet quite popular.
Theatre-Besides popularizing Chakravyuh, we have also encouraged unique experiments in Kuamoni theatre with
1. Vishweshwar Dutt Saklani - Tree Man, Environmentalist
2, Jataru Lal- Dhol Damau exponent
3. Ganga Ram-Wood Carving Artisan
4. Narendra Singh Negi- Noted Singer
5. Joshia Damayi -Folk Theatre Tradition Bearer
6. Bachan Deyi - Beda Folk Tradition Exponent
Ambedhkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana - Self Help Groups of more than 1600 artisan families in the remote Himalayas are improving their livelihoods through design and marketing support for hand crafted goods.
Projects in the Pipalkoti Region - Districts Chamoli Uttarkashi & Nandprayag for Ringal Craft, as well as Jaunsar Bawar for Wood Carving craft. We have undertaken several Design Development Workshops and Marketing Initiatives and are now in the process of setting up a Facilitation Center at Dehra Dun for further training and marketing.
Himalayii Naad - After a yearlong workshop and documentation, an orchestra of folk instruments from 6 valleys the hills was formed under the direction of Sh. Narendra Singh Negi and Dr. D.R. Purohit.
Our resource persons included Dr. William S. Sax, Head, South Asia Institute, Hiedelberg University, D. Vijay Krishna, Music Professor at Kumaon University & Prof. Andrew B. Alter, Professor of Music at University of New Armidale, Australia
Himalayii Naad is a self-help income generative initiative to generate economic means for tradition bearers. Our efforts have spawned three dhol-damau orchestras. An enterprising dhol player has also set up a school to teach the drums. This initiative has contributed in protecting the tradition of Dhol-Damau.
Chakravyuh - REACH was instrumental in reviving ancient religio-folk theatre form called Chakavyuh. We conducted workshops and encouraged villages to perform this folk theatre with a Garhwali script and traditional costumes and music. Many Chakravyuh performances at Gandhari, Ukhimath, Kirtinagar etc. have been held.
Chakravyuh has also gone to National School of Drama Delhi and is one of the most popular performances from Uttarakhand on national platforms.
Factoids
REACH began in 1995 when a few young people realized that the advance of modernity was indeed corroding the moral codes and ethical values inherent in village life. REACH, in essence is a journey to the inner self from where we try to reach out to the essence of Indian- ness. It is an affirmation that merely aping the West will not help us solve problems of modern-day India. By truly understanding the core values of gratitude, humility, integrity and identity and bringing them into our programmes to breach the missing link in our education, can we combat ills of society.
Vision
REACH was started with the broad vision of bringing the rural arts and heritage into the mainstream of policy Planning: and support from the government and civil society. We believe that most models of development are handed out from the urban to the rural, whereas, our ways of living are growing from rural to the urban. Both directions need to be reversed if, we want India to progress. Our Programmes support kriti bhakti, action-oriented devotion, in order to protect and preserve traditions and heritage along with their core values of gratitude, humility, integrity and identity.
Board of Trustees
REACH does not believe in hierarchies; Individuals are not important as long as common goals and the vision of protecting the simplicity of the rural is sustained. REACH is a registered as non-profit, apolitical and secular society. It is also registered as a Trust. REACH is exempted from Income Tax under Sec. 80(G) of the IT Act and registered for 12AA with Dept of IT. REACH is eligible to receive international grants under the FEMA Act along with CSR certification.
Who runs REACH?
The pillars of REACH are the more than 300 volunteers spread out across the globe that are associated with its programmes on a physical as well as emotional level. REACH is managed and run by men and women, who as a first step in surrendering their egos, would like to remain as nameless and faceless as possible.
Virasat
It was, after much deliberation on the content and the delivery of the event that the first Virāsat Festival was mounted in 1995 and once the festival was mounted, the response silenced the sceptics as the entire city comes together in this exuberant celebration of Culture, Art & Craft, a celebration named Virāsat.Virāsat Festival, held between Dussehra & Diwali at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is an effort to bring together all aspects of our rich and diverse folk tradition with its attendant myths, legends, rituals, lore - for people to explore and understand. Virāsat is an effort to combine all aspects of the rich cultural traditions and folk wisdom of the country in an educative as well as celebratory format. The festival was put together with the ideas of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb, a trans-regional approach to culture that do not discriminate between high-art and folk-forms. Presentation of an all-embracing culture, rooted firmly in the Himalayas but encompassing world culture, is the vision that the festival started with, according equal respect to all traditions.
Great signatures from the fields of art and culture, people like Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra and Pt. Kishen Maharaj, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shri. Hariharan, Shri. Kailash Kher, Ustad Ghulam Ali, Ustads Ahmed Mohammed Hussain, Shri. Narendra Singh Negi, Naseeruddin Shah, Govind Nihalani, Prakash Jha, Wadali Bandhu, Ms. Jaya Jaitly, Shri. Bikram Grewal, Tom Alter, Ratna Pathak Shah, Langa Manghaniars of Rajasthan, Nizami Quawwalis, Ritu Varma of Chattisgarh Or, the unique cinematic confluence of the talents of Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, in a memorable screening and panel discussion on parallel cinema and its future or for that matter Habib Tanvir's impromptu appearance in an all- night Mushaira (Urdu poetry session) where he matched the likes of Nida Fazli, Shahrayar and Wasim Barelvi, couplet for couplet and many more memorable moments that have not just warmed the cockles of the hearts of connoisseurs that flock to it.
Over the years Virāsat has spread its reach to the global arts welcoming hundreds of artists from across the world diverse locations such as Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Tibet, Morocco, Austria, Hungary, Myan- mar, UK, Turkey - coming to perform, engendering a transnational dialogue The Virāsat presents a fusion of Music, Dance, Crafts, Painting, Weaving, Theatre, Cinema, Puppetry, Ecological Wisdom etc. in an invigorating environment for the audience, particularly the youth.
A celebration of folklife, our collective heritage, that seeks to bring together all possible aspects of culture and wisdom to the seeker. Virāsat receives a tumultuous response from the people of Uttarakhand and the celebration is an essential part of life in the Doon Valley now.
Virasat Saadhana
In order to inculcate the spirit of devotion to arts, heritage, music and culture among school children, Virasat Saadhana, a 4 -day special performance based event was started. The idea was to encourage the younger generation to pursue our traditional art forms and thus, treasure our heritage. It was thought that sharing the same stage with the maestros would bolster their confidence and give them a feeling of achievement.
The segment includes :
Classical dance, vocal & instrument performances on the main stage of Virasat by students from various schools of Uttarakhand & other states.
Sit & Paint is a painting segment where youth of different age group participate.
Treasure Hunt is a segment to find out a particular thing inside Virasat Village through clues hidden at various places. This activity provides them information & knowledge of craft, tradition & culture.
Inter-School Heritage Quiz, based on Heritage, art, craft and culture, this segment provides the students in depth knowledge of history of our culture.
Workskops
Rangoli - known as Alpana, Kolam and by other names, is a traditional art of decorating courtyards and walls of Indian houses, places of worship. The powder of white stone, lime, rice flour and other cheap paste is used to draw intricate and ritual designs. The folk art is based on the belief that the gods are fond of cleanliness and things of beauty.
Kite Flying - National Award Winning artisans from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, conduct kite-flying demonstrations and 102 kites are flown on a single string.
Khurja Pottery - The famed Khurja pottery of Uttar Pradesh speaks a distinctive clay language of its own giving students and people visiting the festival their maiden opportunity to work on the potter's wheel.
Puppetry - Kathputli, a traveling form of entertainment, uses the age old ballads, retold in the voice of the puppeteer. Puppets are strung on the stage and recount historic anecdotes, tales of love as they twirl and move frenetically.
Gond-Mandala Painting & Mural Making - These artists have a peculiar style that reflects their creativity, they paint deities, pictures of nature or simply an event of a day-to-day life. Very colorful and descriptive, artistes from Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, create wall murals and paintings.
Virasat Sadhna, a four day, event offers a great opportunity to the best-known public schools in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Roorkee and Mussoorie